Nine Months
by dancer4ver
Summary: Each month is unique...though not necessarily good. NaruIno. Complete!
1. First Trimester

A/N: Though this is not my first fanfic, this is my first Naruto fic. Hopefully I actually finish this story. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot but my creativity got away from me and I couldn't stop writing, so I broke it up into "Trimester Chapters" instead. Please enjoy!

**A/N (8/5/2010):** I did this with _**Mistakes **_and _**An Interview with Yamanaka Ino**_ and now I'm moving on to this story. When I go back through my fics I often find little errors or scenes I want to change. This is just me going through this with a fine tooth comb. Also looking back on this story makes me laugh. I usually dislike pregnancy type fics but this was the first NaruIno fics I ever wrote. How crazy is that? XD

Disclaimer: I don't know Naruto but Kishimoto-sama's day is coming. I will get you...

* * *

_Nine Months_

_Month One:_

_The month of discovery_

Uzumaki Naruto had just come home from an excruciatingly tough mission (emphasis on excruciating) and all he wanted as he warily stepped into his lush one bedroom apartment was a welcome back kiss from his wife of two years…and perhaps a foot massage. Instead, he was greeted by the sound of wailing coming from the bedroom.

Being with Yamanaka Ino for five years, two with which they had been married, Naruto had been forced to acquire the ability to decipher his wife's many moods. With his general health often at stake, Naruto had struggled to master the skills necessary to properly interpret when his wife was exuberant or when she was just downright pissed. Though it may not seem like a great achievement, for the husband of Yamanaka Ino—a woman with and million and one emotions—Naruto was very proud of himself.

However, he was flooded with fear and doubt as he gently pressed his ear against the bedroom door. He was certainly hesitant to go right in—fearing the wrath of his currently overemotional wife. Instead, he listened carefully to the sound of her sobs, noting here and there when she paused to take a breath or blow her nose. All these were indicators of the mood Ino was currently in. For now, Naruto could only tell that she was somewhat happy from the irregularity of the sobs. Or maybe she was frustrated? (He tended to get the two emotions confused). Unfortunately, the sobs were becoming subdued and it was getting more and more difficult to decipher their meanings. Sighing, Naruto knew the only way to find out what was truly wrong with his wife was to ask her himself. He flinched slightly as he touched the door handle, waiting for the sound of an explosion of screams, but proceeded nonetheless into the medium sized bedroom.

It was perhaps a split second after he opened the door (maybe less, he was too disoriented and scared to tell), that Naruto was tackled by a blond blur. It took all his ninja skills to keep himself from falling over from the impact and to maintain his balance as the blur, which he could now tell was his wife, entwined her arms around his neck and laced her legs around his hips. Naruto gazed up slightly to see Ino grinning widely into his face. Her beautiful baby blue orbs still sparkled with tears and she did nothing to wipe them away.

"Oh Naruto, I'm so glad you're here!" Ino exclaimed as she rested her head in the warm crook of his neck, "I have wonderful news for you".

Ino's warm breath tickled his neck and he felt shivers all the way down. He knew this was going to be either really, really good or bad, just bad. Naruto steeled himself for the worst.

Ino moved her head so her lips were right next to her husband's ear. Her whisper was so soft that Naruto had to strain himself a little to hear.

"I'm having a baby!"

All was still for at least ten seconds as Naruto allowed his brain to digress what Ino had just said. His wife looked down at him, her eyes expecting nothing but full joy. However, they were soon full of concern as Naruto failed to respond.

"Uh Naruto? Did you hear what I said? We are going to have a baby. Aren't you happy?" Ino's smiled melted slowly to a glare as anger began to replace the elation she had felt seconds earlier. Naruto clear blue eyes seemed to stare past her as if she was invisible, his mouth frozen in a half grin.

"Hellooo? Earth to Naruto. Anyone there?" Ino proceed to give him a light smack on the head. This was followed by a small scream from her as her husband collapsed from beneath her.

Uzumaki Naruto had passed out and it was not until hours of shaking and finally a bowl of steaming miso ramen that he awakened.

_So ended the month of discovery._

_

* * *

_

_Month Two:_

_The month of sickness_

After the initial shock had worn off (he had been unconscious for a total of 3 hours), Naruto was none the happier to the thought of becoming a father. It was only because of Ino's pleadings and threats—mostly the threats—that Naruto restrained himself from announcing the news to the whole population of Konoha. However, he could not resist bragging to all their friends, which he promptly did once he had woken from his…slumber.

Naruto could tell Ino was as proud as he was from the glow that emitted from her beautiful face whenever a close friend or acquaintance stopped by to say congratulations or wish the couple good luck. Ino was especially pleased the day Haruno Sakura stopped by. Always rivals even after Sasuke had broken both their hearts, both women never relinquished a chance to outshine the other.

It was common knowledge that Sakura was still single. Most men feared the girl who had the power to destroy them with a single flick of her wrist. Though she had had many boyfriends, the next Tsunade was yet to find her special someone. Ino often teased her friend about her unfortunate love life. Now that she and Naruto were about to start a family, she couldn't help but rub it in a little.

Ino had grinned widely as she opened the door to find her best friend standing slightly nervously on her door. A light flush had formed on the pink-haired Kunoichi as she looked into Ino's beaming face.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Sorry Sakura I'd let you in except I'm not sure you could fit that huge forehead through the door." Ino had grinned even wider as she watched Sakura turn a deep shade of red and clench her fists. The medic-nin however, was quick to compose herself and equally quick to shoot back the insult.

"That's okay Ino-pig. Pretty soon you'll be so fat you won't be able to leave your own bed. Then you'll really be a pig".

Only Naruto's quick interference had stopped the two women from entering into a full-scale battle. Unfortunately for him, he had taken the worst of the blows, leaving him black and blue as the two women continued to converse next to him about topics ranging from ex-boyfriends (Sakura) to potential baby showers (Ino).

Overall Naruto knew little about pregnant women, so he was mystified at the idea of a "baby shower" and even more mystified when he came home one afternoon the hear the sound of vomiting coming from the bathroom. The door had been left ajar and Naruto nervously peeked in to see his wife bent over the toilet, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Always the concerned one, Naruto didn't hesitate to lay a comforting hand on Ino's back.

"Ino-chan? Are you okay?" Naruto was surprised by the speed in which Ino reached over to bat his hand away. She turned around and glared at him, her eyes fiery.

"Do I _look_ okay?" Ino hissed dangerously. Naruto paled slightly and began twiddling his fingers in a manner often observed in a certain Hyuga heiress.

"Um, er, is there anything I can get you?" Naruto smiled hopefully. Ino always adored gifts and treats and he always did his best to please her. However, the prospect of a present or favor did nothing to diminish Ino's anger. Hours of sickness and vomiting had paled the normally glowing skin, and her lips were colorless and slack. It was only the bright blue eyes that depicted Ino's true rage.

"You know what you can get for me?" Ino's voice was low and laced with acid "A time machine, so I can go back and stop myself from getting fucking pregnant!" At these words, a wave of nausea swept over Ino and she turned once more to the toilet. Naruto flinched as she gagged.

"Uh Ino, honey, I don't think they sell those in Konoha…should I try Suna?"

_Both Naruto and Ino couldn't be happier when the second month came to a close.

* * *

_

_Month Three:_

_The month of tears_

It came to the point when Naruto almost went to Sakura for help—a violation of one of Ino's many rules—when the vomiting finally stopped and Ino returned to her "usual" self. She assured her worried husband that this was normal for women in her condition, thus there was nothing to worry about. Naruto was skeptical until Ino threatened to march him to the library to check out a book on pregnancy. Fearing public humiliation and reading, Naruto finally gave in. He was sure that everything would be fine from here on.

A common tradition at the Uzumaki household was Saturday Movie Night, or as Ino called it "Cuddle Night". Naruto refused to use this name for it, even though cuddling was the night's primary event. In order to refute the disgusting name of "Cuddle Night", Naruto made it his duty to get the scariest movie he could find. This however only increased the amount of cuddling, at least from him as he held onto Ino for dear life while watching the insane farmer feed his victims to his headless pigs. These movies did little to scare Ino as she simply pointed out that the pigs couldn't possibly eat the people since they were in fact, headless. Her comments did little to comfort her husband.

The next Cuddl-uh Movie night, as Naruto slid in the tape, he promptly moved to the farthest end of the couch and away from Ino—in order to prevent any cuddling, or as he put in "protecting Ino from headless pigs by holding on to her very tight". This particular night Ino was especially quiet. Usually she teased him about his inability to watch scary movies. Tonight she sat silently, her knees pulled up to her chin. Naruto smirked, thinking that he had finally found a movie to scare her. This week's feature was "Headless Ninja Zombies from Hell", a personal recommendation from Kiba. Naruto was sure this would be the movie to send Ino into _his_ arms. However, as the movie progressed, Naruto found himself inching closer and closer to his wife until he could hear the soft sound of her breathing.

As Naruto clutched Ino's arm as a zombie from hell burst from the closet, he heard the sound of sniffling. He glanced over at his wife to find tears rolling down her face. His own fear forgotten, Naruto concentrated all of his attention of his crying wife.

"Ino-chan, what's wrong? Is the movie too scary?" Ino shook her head, more tears rolling down her face.

"Do you feel sick?" Naruto cringed, fearing another vomiting episode, but once again Ino shook her head.

"Then what's wrong?" A sudden fear rose up in Naruto and he hoped nothing was wrong with the baby.

"It's just…it's just-", the flow of tears increased as did Naruto's apprehension.

"It's just what? Ino tell me". Ino turned to her husband, her blue eyes swimming with tears.

"It's just…how could they ruin such beautiful clothes!" All Naruto's fear evaporated as he fell back onto the couch. He didn't realize he had been standing…or breathing.

"…What?"

"The clothes! I mean when that zombie popped out he ruined all those clothes! It's just terrible!" Ino broke out into a wave of fresh tears and Naruto stared unbelieving at her.

"You have to be kidding me…" Ino stared at her husband in wonder.

"What do you mean? Those were perfectly good clothes and he just ruined them! I don't understand who would make such a horrible movie like this!" Ino continued to cry as Naruto shook his head in disbelief. Definitely the strangest Cuddl-uh Movie Night ever.

Ino's strange behavior continued the next day as she burst into tears when she accidentally spilled her tea. Despite Naruto's reassurance that everything was fine, Ino ran into their room and refused to come out for the rest of the day. A missed grocery item brought waves of sobs and an unfolded piece of underwear brought a tirade of tears that even chocolate (yes chocolate) couldn't solve.

Much to Naruto's annoyance, tears were a daily thing at the Uzumaki household for the rest of the month. Naruto almost jumped for joy when Ino started laughing when the headless (Headless monster movies are very popular in Konoha) cab driver ran over a puppy at their next movie night.

_So ends month three._

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** So that was the end of the first trimester. Apparently, the first one is the worst. Hopefully this chapter wasn't horrible. Comments are loved, critiques are appreciated. Next chapter will be up soon. Thank You!

-dancer


	2. Second Trimester Part 1

**A/N: Firstly:** Omg! Reviewers! I love you all! You comments were awesome and made me feel great. And to all you lurkers out there, I love you too (even if you won't push the purple button). Oh and a big thank you to all those people who put me on their alerts/favorites. hugs for all You all rock!

**Secondly:** Soooooo, college apps, various school assignments and my own laziness have permitted me from completely finishing the second trimester. For all those anxious readers out there I have decided to split the second trimester in half gasp. I have had this part finished for a while but the fifth and sixth month are taking time. Therefore, this will be part 1 of the second trimester and hopefully over this upcoming Labor Day, I will be able to work on the second part. So please bear with me! More to come! I love you all!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…but I wish I did, because then I'd make NaruIno come true!**

* * *

_Nine Months_

_Month Four:_

_The month of…normalcy?_

Naruto groaned as he rolled over in his bed, trying to block out the harsh sunlight that leaked through the curtains. He didn't know what time it was, but he was sure that it was an ungodly hour. In Naruto's books, it was a heavy sin to be up before noon. It was even worse for Ino who usually wouldn't wake up until Naruto practically dragged her from the bed.

However, as Naruto sleepily rubbed his eyes, he had the feeling that he was currently alone in the bedroom. He yawned and glanced over at what should have been Ino tangled up in the blankets that she usually stole from him at night. Surprisingly the spot was vacant, with only a slight depression in the mattress to indicate where his wife had slept.

Naruto scratched his head at this. Checking the calendar, he was shocked to see that it was Saturday. Since becoming pregnant, Ino had spent most Saturdays in bed, sleeping until the late afternoon or early evening hours. Actually even before she got pregnant, Ino had always slept in an extra hour more on the weekends, particularly Saturdays. So it was quite a shock to Naruto to find her side of the bed vacated.

In its vibrant red colors, the bedside clock displayed 9:30am-definetly an ungodly hour. However, since he was already awake and Ino's mysterious disappearance continued to puzzle him, Naruto decided not to head back to sleep. As he exited his bed, Naruto stretched deeply, and rubbed his back, feeling the bruises from Ino kicking him at night. As he performed this morning routine, a strange but pleasant smell tickled his nose. Accompanying this smell was an equally odd sound that could only be described as singing…or someone attempting to sing. The

high-pitched melody reminded him of a cross between a robin's cry and the opera singer whose show Ino had dragged him to see weeks earlier. To put it simply, it was not exactly pleasant.

Curiously but cautiously, Naruto quietly cracked open the bedroom door. Peeking out, he was greeted by the sight of Ino standing in the kitchen. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and a deep purple bow graced the top. She had changed out of her pajamas into an ensemble that consisted of a flower emblazoned purple tank top and a pair of purple capris. The outfit was completed with a deep, slightly dirty, purple apron that read in fancy script, "Kiss the Cook". This casual Saturday morning appearance would have looked perfectly normal on any other housewife, but on Ino, who was bent over an unidentified dish on the stove, it was a frightening scene.

Naruto racked his brain, trying to remember whether it was April fool's Day. Considering it was July, it probably wasn't. The possibility that Ino could be playing a prank on him didn't make much sense either. Ino was not a prankster; sure, she knew a couple of tricks, but nothing too fancy. Naruto silently hoped he wasn't being punished for anything. Ino tended to become calmer and nicer before she exploded in rage.

While Naruto was contemplating all the possibilities for Ino's sudden transformation, his wife gazed up from her cooking to see him peering out from the bedroom door.

"Naruto-kun!" she cooed happily, disturbing his thoughts, "Good morning! Come sit down, breakfast is almost ready". Ino's face was glowing in the early morning sunlight and her smile took up her whole face.

Naruto slowly closed the bedroom door behind him but made no motion to get any closer. The prospect of Ino awake at _9:30_ on a _Saturday_ morning, was already scaring enough, but the singing, the clothes, and now the cooking? And what was with that smile? Naruto was terrified. Yes, he was definitely in trouble for something.

"What's wrong honey? Why don't you sit down?" Ino beckoned with her hand but Naruto stayed frozen in his spot.

"Are you sick or something?" Ino's baby blue eyes were full of concern as she approached her terrified husband.

Naruto flinched and closed his eyes as Ino stretched out her hand to his head. He steeled himself for the blow but all he felt was the cool touch of Ino's hand on his forehead. He carefully opened his eyes to see her staring at him, a pensive look etched across her pretty features.

"Hmm, you don't appear to have a fever. Is there anything else wrong?" The worried look in Ino's eyes made Naruto feel only half-guilty about his suspicions about her. After being with her for so long, Naruto knew when to be on his guard.

"Uh I'm fine Ino-chan. Nothing's wrong" Naruto hesitated slightly and then added, "Are _you_ okay?"

"Me? Of course I am! I couldn't be better! Now come eat". Ino grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the breakfast plate she had already laid out for him. Although Ino did not posses Sakura's famous super strength, Naruto guessed she must have had _some_ extra energy stored in her reserves because of the ease in which she moved his immobile body.

Once they reached the kitchen table Ino seated Naruto down, then giggling and laughing she practically danced back into the kitchen. **Danced**. Naruto felt that he was in a bad dream. He pinched himself just to make sure. Nope he was definitely awake. Well maybe if he used a kunai-

"You're really going to like this Naruto-kun; I spent all morning making it." Ino half-sung from the kitchen jerking Naruto out of his morbid thoughts.

Naruto's stomach flipped. When they had first started dating, Ino had attempted to prepare several meals for them. Most ended up blackened at the bottom of the pot. Those that had survived had been painfully consumed by Naruto, afraid of what Ino might do if he declined to eat them. Better death by food poisoning than death by Ino. He figured the food poisoning might hurt less.

Fortunately due to laziness (and mercy from the Gods), Ino had quickly given up cooking, complaining of all the energy it took up. Since then Naruto had prepared most of the meals. Though most didn't know it, the ramen loving Kyuubi container actually had the makings of a genius chef. Naruto figured these skills had come from all the years he had been forced to survive on his own. Nonetheless, ramen was still a main dish at the Uzumaki household at least three times a week.

Naruto grimaced as Ino skipped to the table, plate in hand. He steeled himself for the worst as she gently laid his food before him. Surprisingly it looked edible. The rice wasn't even slightly burnt and the vegetables actually looked as if they had been alive at sometime. Overall, everything looked…good. Naruto glanced at his wife. Ino was beaming and he could not help but notice how cute she looked, especially since she had begun to show a bit around the tummy. Naruto inwardly hoped that some higher power had decided to have pity on him and bless him with a day (most likely a morning, not to get his hopes up) of peace and normalcy.

The last factor that would make the day-uh morning perfect was the meal that lay in front of him.

Cautiously Naruto lifted his chopsticks and picked up a small portion of the food. He eyed it for a second, still slightly suspecting poison, then took a deep breath and placed it warily in his mouth. He didn't swallow immediately and actually almost spit it back up again, but the glimmer of happiness in Ino's eyes overpowered his fear for his life and Naruto gulped down the food.

He was still for a moment, perhaps he was waiting to die, or perhaps he was already dead, he really didn't know. All he knew, after a few seconds of stillness, was that food was REALLY GOOD. Forgetting all suspicions regarding poison and what not, Naruto shoveled the rest of the food down his throat. Ino squealed in delight at her husband's obvious satisfaction of her meal, and began her "dancing" and "singing" again.

Naruto's belief in miracles was restored following breakfast when Ino led him to the living room and plunked him (lovingly) on the couch. For a second he feared death or torture, but nearly fainted in joy when Ino announced she was going to give him a foot massage, then a back massage, maybe even neck massage if he was up for it! Naruto silently thanked every god he had ever heard of, unsure who had delivered this blessing.

The remainder of the day was truly paradise for the usually hyperactive blonde. Like a _normal_ wife, Ino showered him with little treats and goodies, showing him affection that she hadn't since they were married. And her affections didn't just stop at head massages and endless packages of ramen. As they climbed into bed that night, Ino grinned mischievously and promised him a night "he would never forget" and Yamanaka Ino wasn't one to break promises.

As the days past, Naruto lived each one to the fullest, always aware that Ino could suddenly snap back to her usual-though-no-less-loving-but-definetly-not-as-happy-and-slightly-more-violent self. For now, he enjoyed the food, the fun, the massages, and the sex, yes especially the sex. After Ino had announced her pregnancy, Naruto had feared that he would have to spend the nine months in abstinence. He was extremely pleased that Ino had not let him suffer like that.

In vain, Naruto hoped that Ino would remain in her current state until the end of her pregnancy. No such luck. He knew everything was over the morning he found himself in the alley next to their apartment, upside-down in the neighbor's trash.

_And so ends month four...

* * *

_**A/N:** Evil me! I left you with a somewhat cliffe ending. Hopefully I will be able to resolve it soon…hopefully.

Once again, comments are loved, critics are appreciated, and all reviews make me smile, Yeah! That's all for now.

-dancer


	3. Second Trimester Part 2

**A/N**: This was not supposed to take me this long but school really slowed me down. I hope to get the last part of this trimester up before the end of the week and I hope to finish this story before the end of the year so please cross your fingers! I'd like to thank everyone who has subscribed to this story and all my reviewers. I love you!

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Naruto, but this story is mine.

* * *

**

_Nine Months**  
**_

_Month Five:_

_The month of bossiness_

Now Uzumaki Naruto was in a very tricky situation indeed. Not only was he in a trash can, but he was upside-down in it-definitely the worst position ever. His face was pressed against rotting foods and the bugs that lived there were buzzing around in all sorts of uncomfortable places…. for some odd reason, Naruto's thoughts went to Shino.

Of course _how_ he ended up in the trashcan was a mystery indeed. Well, not really. He was pretty sure that Ino had something to do with it but considering her extremely pleasant mood for the last couple weeks, he was unsure why she had done it. He couldn't remember doing anything _really_ bad, so he ruled out punishment. Inwardly Naruto sighed. Most likely the cause was that time had run out. He knew Ino couldn't have stayed perky and extremely affectionate forever. This time he sighed aloud. Naruto had known the end was coming but he had hoped that it wouldn't have come so soon. Already he missed the seemingly endless pampering. Oh and the sex, he couldn't forget about that.

It took awhile but Naruto eventually managed to wiggle out of the rotting garbage can. In desperate need of a shower and an explanation from his back-to-normal wife, Naruto ambled back into his apartment. Before he could even place a foot onto the recently polished floors, Ino swooped down on him.

"Naruto!" she shrieked, "Where have you been all morning?"

"What do you mean where have I been," Naruto shot back "Aren't you the one who threw me in the trash can?"

"Well of course I did, but I didn't expect you to stay in there forever! Do you know how much stuff we have to do?"

"Ino-chan, what could we possibly have to do at 6:30 in the morning? And why did you throw me in the trash anyway? What happened to all the love and admiration you've been giving me?" Naruto gave Ino his best puppy-dog look. The pitiful look that was contained within his big blue eyes would have made any other woman melt. However, Ino was not any other woman.

"Don't you dare try that with me, Naruto Uzumaki. I am NOT in the mood. I have had it up to here with your laziness and apathetic behavior. You're almost as bad as Shikamaru!" Ino continued her rant as a shocked Naruto watched on.

"We have only about four months to go, and that's only if the baby decides to come early. However since this _is your_ child, they will probably be in there forever! Anyway, the point is we are running out of time. We still have to set up the baby's room, but considering this is a one room apartment, we'll have to make do with what we have, until we can move into the a bigger one…" Ino trailed off and glanced thoughtfully around the room. Naruto took this as a chance to put in his own thoughts.

"But Ino-chan, I like this pla-"Ino cut him off abruptly.

"Oh yes and the baby shower! I need a baby shower. That damned forehead girl is supposed to throw me one, considering she is my best friend but ever since she started dating Mr.-Perfect-medical-ninja/Anbu/ Jounin Sensei/weekend gardener, all she ever thinks about is her lame love life. Honestly, they have only been dating for what 6 weeks and she's already talking about marriage. I have known her almost all her life, but noooo, she can take two weeks off for a vacation to Suna, but can't take a day off to throw her best friend a baby shower. The nerve of that forehead girl! See if I ever do anything for her!"

"Ino-chan-"

"And we cannot forget the necessities. We need this house baby proof before the end of this week. I mean really. We have random kunai and shuriken scattered all over this place, and not to mention all the dangerous scrolls you leave under the couch Naruto. All this must go now. I will not have my child-"

"Our child", Naruto threw in possessively. Ino glared at him momentarily but continued as she was.

"-_our_ child getting him or herself hurt because their daddy was too stupid to properly arrange his training scrolls".

"Now wait a minute Ino-chan-"

" And what about clothes, and toys, and diapers! How could we forget about diapers! What in the world have I been doing these past couple months, we are extremely behind. And what about…"

Naruto was not sure he could take anymore. As Ino continued to rage, he turned his attention to the couch and thought how nice it would be to take a nap. He allowed his thought to wander away from his screeching wife and to the tasks he hoped to accomplish that day. A nap was first- wait no, a shower. Yeah that was better. He reeked after all. Then the nap. He'd probably be hungry when he woke up, so he'd fix himself a big steaming bowl of ramen. After that, hmm what after that? Another nap? Maybe. Or he'd go find Kiba or Shikamaru to see if they wanted to hang out or train. He hadn't had much of a social life since Ino had gotten pregnant…

"NARUTO!" Naruto nearly fell over as the sound of Ino's voice ripped through his ears, almost damaging his eardrums.

" Y-yeah Ino-chan?" Naruto said rubbing his ears.

"Are you even listening to me? Have you heard any of the things I've said in these past few minutes? Don't you dare nod at me like that, because I know you haven't. You never listen to me! But that doesn't matter because I made you a list anyway". Ino thrust a tiny bulging notebook at her husband. Inside it was full of items to be bought, work to be done around the house, and events to plan.

"What is this Ino? Why do we need all this stuff?" Naruto inquired as he flipped through the pages of the notebook. "What's with all these plush dolls and clothes? We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet? How can you buy pink snowsuits now? And how often does it snow in Konoha anyway?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "For the love of….you act so simple minded sometimes Naruto. We can't keep thinking inside the box. What if a giant snowstorm hits Konoha? Are we just gonna let out baby freeze? And who says I can't buy a pink snowsuit? Boys can wear pink too!"

"Not my son" Naruto muttered.

"What was that?" Ino asked, glaring at him.

"Oh nothing," Naruto smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"It better be because you have a lot of stuff to do mister and we DON'T have time to be talking. I need you to get all that stuff on this list, then I need you to find that idiot forehead girl and kindly remind her that I am indeed pregnant and pregnant women do need baby showers. Got it? Then I need you to stop over at the hardware store and pick up some paint and wallpaper. The color of this place is soooo dreary. I wrote down the color I want. Do not mess this up Naruto! We are running out of time and we can't keep sitting on our asses until the baby comes".

Naruto continued to scan the list. Where was he going to get a Super Konoha Ninja Bouncy Seat or a Flower Kunoichi Pacifier Set? And how was he gonna pay for all this. It had been a while since he had taken a good A or S-Rank mission, and money was kind of tight. Even though he did not know their prices, Naruto was sure some of the stuff on the list was way over his budget.

"Are you stupid?" Ino shouted, "Stop looking at me like an idiot and get your ass moving! Go! Go! Go!"

Naruto couldn't escape fast enough. He narrowly missed a vase that Ino proceed to chuck at his head. He was halfway down the stairs when he remembered that it was indeed Saturday, and most of the stores didn't open up until 7:30. Checking his watch, he sighed. It was only 7:00. Yet he would rather brave the empty early morning streets than go back up those stairs. Naruto stuffed the notebook inside pocket and headed down the road to his first stop, the Konoha Department Store….well second stop. Ichiruka's was always open early and a bowl of ramen would really brighten up the already depressing morning.

Two large bowls of miso ramen later, Naruto waved goodbye to the chef and his daughter. Checking his watch, he was relieved to find out that he had burned a good 45 minutes as the ramen stand. Most of the stores were open now and the first trickles of customers were beginning to make their way into stores.

Even though it was still early (at least for Naruto), the Konoha department store was already half full. It was a mixture of ordinary citizens and shinobi, all shopping for numerous reasons. Naruto waved good morning to a few people he knew and started down the aisles.

The first thing on the list was baby formula. Naruto actually agreed with Ino on this one. Food was definitely one of the more important things in life after all. After acquiring the location of the baby department from a friendly salesperson, Naruto found himself thrust into an unknown land.

A billion and one brands of diapers, strollers, pacifiers, food, bottles, blankets, and clothes of all different shapes and sizes, were displayed in front of him. Lined up neatly in their rows, the necessities for every newborn were all there. The whole section took up two aisles and was packed with expectant mothers and screaming children. Naruto could not help but feel a little out of place and confused. For one thing, he had been to this store about a million times, and not once had he seen this aisle. Well, mostly likely that was because he spent most of his time in the noodles section.

Naruto fumbled for his list, trying to avoid being dazed by all the brightly colored toys that were scattered around the aisle. He had no clue how he was supposed to find anything in this area. Everything looked so foreign and he was reluctant to ask for help. He felt awkward enough.

The first item on Ino's list was "Fire Country ABC Baby Formula: Super Plus! Brand". Next to it she had clearly indicated that Naruto get this brand and _nothing_ else. To Naruto, baby food all looked the same: gross. However, this was not the time to upset Ino. If he wanted to live, or have any chance of reproducing again, he'd get just what she wanted.

However, do that was a whole lot harder than he anticipated. First of all, there were about 20 different brand of baby food, with each brand having about five different varieties. There was food for infants, toddlers, babies of clans with special bloodlines, babies destined to be ninjas, even a special "hokage baby" brand. Many of these made no sense to Naruto. How could mashed carrots make a baby Hokage material? It did not even look appetizing. If Naruto had his way, all babies would eat Ramen. Now that was real food.

Unfortunately, none of the baby food held even a trace of Ramen, but Naruto finally found the brand Ino wanted. The Fire Country brand was the largest in the section. Not to mention the most expensive. Naruto shuddered at the price but put one box containing 20 meals in the basket anyway. Food was the most critical item. It was probably going to be the most expensive thing there….Not so.

Naruto spent the next two hours running up and down the baby department accumulating all Ino's desired items into the shopping basket. He nearly fainted at the price of each item and made a mental note to discuss with his wife the concept of "discount items" or at least a coupon book.

He had hardly seen so many zero's in his life when the final total for all the items was shown to him at the checkout line. How on earth did Ino expect him to pay for all this stuff? In the end, Naruto had to physically remove his clothes in a desperate attempt to locate any loose change in the folds. Luckily, a handful of coins dislodged themselves from deep within his pant pockets with a good shakes. Naruto bowed deeply and apologized to the customers behind him for taking so long and for stripping in front of them. Then he took his precious cargo and fled the store before he could possibly embarrass himself anymore.

For Naruto the rest of the day passed by miserably, especially in the area of money. He had never seen his bank account so empty after he'd finished all Ino's errands. In addition, Sakura had not taken Ino's orders of a baby shower as well as Naruto had hoped. His begging and pleading had given him only a black eye and an angry response of "maybe". Well at least it was not "no".

As he stumbled back to the apartment late that evening, it suddenly dawned on Naruto that he hadn't eaten since morning(or taken that shower he had wanted). In response to the thought of food, Naruto's stomach let out a rumble that he was sure could be heard even at the top of the Hokage Mountain. Unfortunately, he was broke. In fact, not just broke, but literally bankrupt. The items for Ino had cost Naruto more money than he had ever spent on anything. He wasn't even sure how he was going to eat for the next couple of days…

"Naruto! You're home!" Ino exclaimed as her husband stumbled through the door, his arms laden with all the purchases of the day.

Perhaps it was wishful thinking but Naruto hoped that at that moment, Ino would embrace him with hugs and kisses and thanks for his hard work. Then she would whisk him off to bed to show the extent of her gratitude. If only…

"What in the world have you been doing all day?" Ino stood above him; hand on her hips, staring down menacingly.

"What are you talking about Ino? I've been doing what you told me to do," Red-faced Naruto scrambled up from the floor. He matched his wife's glare with his own. "I have spent all day running around spending MY money on all your stuff. What do you think I've been doing?"

"Are you serious Naruto? It took you all day to get those items? That was little more than a grocery list," Ino pulled a lengthy piece of paper from her pocket and shoved it in his face, "This, is the real list".

Naruto felt faint as his shaking hands took the list from his wife. The piece of paper was almost long enough to touch the floor.

Ino smirked and said, "We aren't even half done," then she added in her sweetest voice "Naruto-kun". She smiled and started walking towards the bedroom door. Before she went in, she turned to him, her eyes flashing.

"You have until the end of the month to get those things Naruto. Do not let me, or the baby, down. Goodnight".

She closed the door, leaving Naruto barely standing in the hallway, his eyes still glued to the list she had handed him. He would never tell a soul, but at that moment, a single tear rolled down the whiskered-ninjas face.

_It took some time, but eventually the financial status of the Uzumaki household was returned to normal…at least until the sixth month.

* * *

_

**A/N: **Awww, poor Naruto! I made Ino so mean in this chapter! The next month will be better so stay tuned! All reviews are adored.

Much love

-dancer


	4. Second Trimester Part 3

**A/N**: I had fun writing this chapter, which was probably why I finished it so fast. In addition, school is going to be a lot easier now, so I have more time on my hands. The next chapter is going to take me a little more time but I hope to put it up sometime between the last week of November and the first week of December. This chapter symbolizes the end of the second trimester so from here I'll start wrapping things up. I would like to that everyone who has reviewed this story or put it on their favorites/alerts. Also a big thank you to those who have put me on their favorite author list. ^-^ You guys rock!

**Disclaimer**: **If I owned Naruto, Ino would be the main female character, sorry Sakura. Sadly, I do not. However, I do own this story so, HELL YEAH!**

* * *

_Nine Months_

_Month Six:_

_The month of cravings_

"Hey, Naruto," Ino prodded her snoozing husband as the expectant couple relaxed one evening on a Saturday night. The past couple of weeks had been a hectic blur, with all the shopping for the baby and whatnot. The tiny Uzumaki apartment was literally stuffed to capacity with all the items that had come off Ino's crazy lists. Poor Naruto had been pushed to the brink of exhaustion (and complete bankruptcy!) before Ino had finally deemed everything adequate and stated that all the "necessities" had been purchased. Since then the Uzumaki's had rested and planned for the future to come….as well as balanced their budget. For now, everything, even the financial situation, was stable. For now.

"Oi, Naruto. Wake up," Ino poked her husband again. Harder this time. The future Hokage of Konoha continued to sleep soundly on the couch that had become his bed. His old bed was too cluttered with baby items to be even remotely comfortable.

Naruto simply swatted a hand at Ino and rolled over on his side, mumbling nonsense,

"Too tired…must sleep…Ino…chan"

If there was one thing Ino hated was to be ignored….and swatted at!

"I said WAKE UP!" Ino screeched into her husband's ear.

"WAAAAAHHH!" Naruto screamed and rolled off the couch. "What the hell Ino? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? No need to yell!"

"For you Naruto, yelling is always necessary. Especially since you never respond when I simply talk" Ino smirked at Naruto who lay completely frazzled on the floor. She burst out laughing as he shot her a glare and offered out her hand. Naruto glared at it suspiciously, he could never tell with Ino these days. His wife gave him her most genuine smile and he relented, letting her help him off the floor.

Naruto settled back onto the couch, trying to resume his previous position but was disrupted by Ino who had crept closer to him.

"I was thinking that tonight we go out to eat," Ino suggested wrapping her arms around Naruto. He rolled his eyes. He should have seen something like that coming.

"Now don't roll your eyes at me. I'm not finished," Ino grinned broadly, "I was actually thinking that we go out to Ichiruka's. It's been so long since we've eaten out".

Naruto was about to comment that it was because of Ino's lavish spending and misuse of their money for unnecessary things such as baby education tapes, that they had not eaten out for so long, when what she said registered in his brain.

"….did you say Ichiruka's? As in ramen?"

"Of course silly, what else does Ichiruka's serve?" Ino chuckled.

Well the chef's daughter Ayame had gone through that whole soba phase for a while, but that wasn't the point. The point was the Ino, Uzumaki Ino, wanted ramen. It was a suggestion that Naruto never thought he would hear come out of her mouth.

For one thing, Ino hated ramen. Well not hated it (no one could hate ramen in Naruto's mind), but she did not love it. She was forever pointing out its unhealthy side effects and lack of nutritional value (Naruto scoffed and was offended at such talk). Ino overall disliked (not hated) the general composition of ramen.

Naruto shot his wife a suspicious look and examined her scrupulously. She appeared to look normal. Long platinum blond hair, baby blue eyes, that tiny nose that wrinkled slightly when she laughed, and about average height with an adorably round belly. Yep Ino definitely looked the same.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ino crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously, "what did I say?"

Naruto reached out and laid the back of his hand on his wife's forehead. Temperature was normal too.

Ino pushed his hand away. "What the hell Naruto? All I said was 'Let's go out for ramen'. Why is that such a big deal?"

"Because you hate, I mean greatly "dislike" ramen!" Naruto used air quote where appropriate, "You're always complaining about me eating it all the time and now you actually want to go _out_ and eat it? Sorry Ino-chan but that's just not like you".

"Gosh Naruto, if you didn't want to take me out you should have just said so". Ino turned away from him and made a motion as if to wipe a tear. For extra effect, she pulled out a handkerchief that just happened to be in her pocket and blew her nose loudly. "We never go out any more. Sometime I feel so trapped in this place; it drives me crazy". Ino sniffled into the handkerchief.

Naruto's heart ached a little. "Oh come on Ino, it's not like I don't want to take you out. I would love to. And if it's ramen you want, it's ramen you'll get…even if you suggesting it is a bit strange. We can go now".

Ino whirled back around. All her tears had dried mysteriously fast. Her blue eyes sparkled, a brilliant smile on her lips. "Oh Naruto, that would be wonderful! Let me get my coat".

Ino leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek then dashed off to retrieve her jacket.

Naruto let out a sigh and sunk a bit lower into the couch. He was such a softie sometimes…

It was still early evening but the streets of Konoha were virtually deserted, with a few stragglers here and there.

It had been only two years since the end of the war and the citizens were taking advantage of the newfound peace. Naruto could hardly blame them.

The war had lasted only for a year, but in that horrifying time, half the village had been destroyed and countless shinobi and civilians killed. In the end, Akatsuki had been virtually wiped out, it's last remaining members gone into deep hiding. They would be found some day, but for now, the village was still recuperating.

As for Sasuke, he was still out there. From time to time, news and bits of gossip came to the village concerning the last Uchiha and his group "Falcon". Always on the move, Sasuke had managed to evade Konoha's forces up until then, but of course, Naruto would never give up on his best friend. But at least for now, everything was quiet.

Naruto glanced down at Ino as they strolled down the vacant streets towards the haven called Ichiruka's. She was smiling, her pale cheeks dusted pink with a light blush that was brought on by the unusual chill in the air. Fall had come early to Konoha.

With his wife by his side, and a baby on the way, Naruto almost forgot sometimes about the horrors of the war, the friends he had lost, and the friend he was still yet to find. Just being with Ino, even when she was nagging and bitching and complaining, made everything feel...better. It was a safe feeling that Naruto wanted to hold on tight to, even if for just a second.

Ino felt her husband staring and looked up, her blue eyes flashing in the rising moonlight.

"What's with that face Naruto? What are you thinking about?" She asked softly, not to disturb the quiet aura around them.

"Hm, nothing really. Just a little nostalgia". Naruto grinned at her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tighter into his embrace.

Ino snuggled into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, the pair walking slowly, but happily towards their destination.

Ichiruka's stood like a solitary beacon in the darkening night. A symbol of warmth and good food.

Naruto's stomach growled slightly as the smell of ramen wafted past his nose. It had been too long indeed since he had had what he considered a "good" meal.

"Welcome!" called the chef's daughter Ayame as the couple entered and sat down. "Ah, Hello Ino, Naruto-kun! It's been awhile since I've seen either of you. What have you guys been up to?"

"Oh just this and that. Getting ready for the baby and whatnot. We've been pretty busy". Ino replied.

"Yeah, pretty busy wasting money," Naruto mumbled. To this he received a swift punch in the gut.

Ayame laughed lightly as Naruto keeled over on the counter, clutching his stomach in pain. "Oh you two. Do you guys need a minute to decide-I know you don't Naruto-or are you ready to order now?" Ayame asked.

Naruto straightened up and glanced over at Ino but she was nodding her head, ready to order.

Knowing his wife, Ino would probably get a bowl of broth or something light. Even pregnant, she was still over conscious about her weight. And it would be just like her to drag them out of the house, when everyone was inside relaxing, just to get a simple bowl of broth. However, her order came as a large shock to him.

"I'll have everything you've got". Ino stated calmly.

Uzumaki Naruto could safely say that he knew his wife well enough. It had taken him a few years but he had finally got a handle on deciphering her moods. Her favorite color, type of food, store, etc, he knew it all.

However, the moment those words came out of her mouth, Naruto was not so sure he knew her at all.

"E-e-e-everything you've got? Are you crazy Ino?" Naruto was nearly dying of shock. Even Ayame was surprised.

"No," Ino shot him an annoyed look, "I'm hungry".

Naruto's poor brain was nearing an overload and Ino's words continued to float through it. _Everything you've got...everything you've got_. What the hell, no, who the fuck was sitting next to him, because his diet crazy, slim obsessed wife would never say, _everything you've got_. In addition, although Ichiruka's was known to be relatively cheap, it was not long until the prices starting building up. Naruto had personal experience from childhood when his froggie wallet would be empty for days after he recklessly over-ate and Iruka wasn't around to pay.

The Uzumaki budget had been finally balanced following Ino's outrageous shopping sprees and now it faced another collapse.

Naruto swore he saw stars as he sat there, Ino's order still playing in his mind..._everything you've got...everything you've got...everything-_

"Naruto!" Ino harsh tone broke into his depressed thoughts.

"Huh? What" Naruto looked completely dazed.

"Are you going to sit there and stare all day or are you going to order?"

"Forget about me, Ino-chan, what about you? You do realize you just ordered 'everything you've got', right?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "I know what I ordered Naruto. I already said I'm hungry". She changed gears and gave him her best pitiful look. "You wouldn't deny your pregnant a good meal, would you Naruto-kun?"

He was tempted to do just that, but he saw the spark of danger in Ino's eyes and knew he would be a patient at Konoha Hospital for a week if he said no.

"Of course not Ino-chan," Naruto did his best not to cry. He gave his best smile and said, "I would never do such a thing".

"Good, now please order". Ino returned the smile.

Naruto sighed and looked sadly at Ayame. "I'll just take the usual, please". What else was he supposed to do? He needed to eat but he feared the new strain that would soon be on his wallet.

Still slightly shocked from Ino's orders, Ayame gave them a curt nod and disappeared into the back to prepare their meals.

"Are you sure about this Ino? You've never really liked ramen and then you go order the entire menu, what's up with that?" Naruto asked, thoroughly bemused.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure. I have just had these really bad cravings for ramen these past couple of days. I think it is one of those pregnant women things", Ino began drumming her fingers on the table, eager for their food to arrive, " I feel as if I don't get ramen now I'll just die".

Ramen cravings? Definitely a pregnancy thing.

This new explanation slightly relieved Naruto. It was good to know that this was only another phase in the pregnancy cycle. Hopefully, Ino would not be like this forever.

It took longer than usual for the food to arrive. Naruto did not blame the chef. Ino's order had been huge after all.

His wife did not possess the same patience. The whole time they sat there waiting, she fiddled around with her chopsticks or drummed her fingers noisily on the table. At one point, Naruto heard a ripping sound and looked to find her munching on some napkins.

"Don't look at me like that!' Ino angrily threw the half-eaten napkins at his face, "You have no clue how I feel. You try carrying around a baby for six months and see what happens to you!" Ino laid her head on the counter.

"Fuck I'm hungry".

Naruto said a slightly prayer in thanks that he was indeed male and that men could not have babies.

The food finally arrived, and Ino was halfway through her first bowl before Naruto could even say, "Itadakimasu!"

Naruto was known throughout the village as a rabid ramen eater, but he had never seen anyone eat ramen as fast as Ino.

He completely forgot about his own food as bowl after bowl, Ino engulfed hers. In truth, it was a fairly disgusting display.

Naruto feared his wife would choke at the speed at which she was practically inhaling the bowls of ramen.

"Uh, Ino-chan, maybe you should slow down a little..."

For the first time since she had started eating, Ino came up for air. She gave him a withering look and said simply, "Shut up", before she continued her eating frenzy.

Naruto said no more and quietly ate his bowl of Miso ramen, ever alert to the sounds of slurping besides him.

"Ah, that really hit the spot". Ino leaned back in her chair and patted her larger than usual belly.

"27 bowls...27 bowls of ramen, "Naruto could hardly believe it, "Ino! You just ate 27 bowls of ramen".

Ino gave him a satisfied smile, "Yes, I know. And it was delicious. I never knew ramen was so good. Now I know why you like it so much Naruto."

One part of Naruto was elated by this news. He knew no one could hate (dislike) ramen. The other part had fallen into deep depression. Those 27 bowls would be coming out of _his_ wallet.

The chef and his daughter had watched the whole display with a mixture of disgust and joy. It was not every day you got such a good customer. Though it had been disturbing to watch, the rewards of Ino's mad eating would be sweet. Both turned to Naruto, their eyes sparkling.

"Here's your bill Naruto-kun," Ayame handed it to him, a large grin on her pretty face, "Please come back soon! And bring your wife anytime!"

Naruto glared at her last comment and examined the horrid piece of paper in front of him. Surprisingly, he did not have a heart attack right there and then. He had been through so much the past couple of months that even the frighteningly high ramen bill did little to faze him.

With only minor grumbling Naruto paid the bill, then took his over-stuffed wife by the hand and began walked home, his wallet completely empty.

"You know Naruto," Ino said as they walked up the steps to their apartment, "We should really go to Ichiruka's more often. That was great".

Naruto, who had said nothing the whole walk home only nodded but on the inside felt that he would rather be locked in a room naked with Orochimaru than ever take Ino out again. At least not until this whole pregnancy thing was over.

The next day, when Naruto came home hungry as per usual, he thought he had died and gone to heaven when he opened the doors to the cupboard.

All the shelves were stocked with ramen. From instant to gourmet, every ramen flavor was there.

"It's a cupboard of miracles". Naruto whispered to himself. He was on the verge of tears.

He could not believe that Ino had enjoyed ramen so much that she actually stuffed their cupboard with it.

It was times like this that Naruto knew why he loved his wife so much.

"Now, which one should I eat first?" Naruto reached out for one of the boxes for closer inspection.

Suddenly he felt something cool and sharp against his neck.

"Don't you dare", came the icy whisper of Ino's voice, "Touch that box and you'll be sorry".

"W-what the hell Ino-chan? Wha-"

Ino tightened her grip on her kunai.

"Back away from the ramen Naruto. Now!"

Fearing castration, mutilation (and all the other "-ations" out there), Naruto slowly back away from the cupboard of miracles until Ino felt safe enough to remove her weapon from his neck.

She then walked to the cupboard and scrupulously inspected the ramen he had been about to grab.

"What the fuck Ino? Were you trying to kill me or something?" Naruto rubbed his neck angrily.

Ino ignored him and turned back to the cupboard of miracles. She gave everything a quick once over then closed the doors. She then pulled a key from her pocket and proceeded to lock the doors as well.

She turned around and showed him the box of ramen she still held in her hand.

"Look here Naruto, "she indicated the bottom of the package. Naruto could see the black marker writing on the bottom, "It says property of Uzumaki _Ino_. Not Uzumaki Naruto. All the ramen in that cupboard is mine and that means you stay out. Or else".

She narrowed her eyes at her last line, an indication of the reality of the threat.

A threat from Ino was one to take seriously. Naruto gave a quick nod and scurried away before Ino felt any need to carry out her threat.

Though he was severely tempted, Naruto avoided the cupboard of miracles as much as possible. It wasn't that hard really, especially since Ino, who was on maternity leave from her job as an ANBU Interrogator, was usually around to guard it.

For the next couple of weeks Ino ate nothing but ramen. Whenever Naruto attempted to persuade her to try something new, she would accuse him to trying to steal her food, which would lead to threats and possibly pain.

In the end, Naruto gave up. He knew his wife and he knew she would get sick of the noodle dish eventually. That was just her nature, no matter what cravings the pregnancy brought on.

Naruto was not surprised, and slightly amused, one afternoon when he saw the cupboard of miracles was completely empty and all the ramen was in the trash.

He chuckled to himself and pick up one of the boxes. It was similar to the one he had attempted to grab weeks earlier.

Still fresh and unopened, Naruto prepared himself for a bowl of steaming hot ramen.

It seemed everything was somewhat normal again.

_Hopefully it will stay that way during the seventh month...

* * *

_

**A/N: **Yeah another chapter done! And so ends the second trimester. Stay tuned for the third trimester, months seven, eight, and finally, nine.

Oh and in case anyone is wondering why I put that little dramatic piece in there, it was because I felt like it. That is all XD

As always comments are loved, critiques are appreciated.

-dancer


	5. Third Trimester:The beginning of the end

**A/N:** Okay you guys, here's the next chapter. Think of this as an early holiday gift from me. I know I originally said I'd put this chapter up sooner but midterms slowed me down. But now it's break, yeah! And I finally got a chance to write. I'm actually quite pleased because I finished this chapter in record time. However, I feel kinda iffy on the quality of it. Please review and tell me what you think! Enjoy!

**A/N 2**: Oh and one more thing. I love all my readers and I appreciate every review but I have to make something clear. This is a pregnancy story and having lived with a pregnant woman, I know that I have depicted Ino's pregnancy in a very "radical" light. I only made it like that for humorous purposes and because I wanted to exemplify the idea of each month being unique or special. In real life, I know this is not always the case but for this story, it is. I just wanted to put that out there for any of you who had concerns or problems or whatever with how I portrayed the pregnancy. Just for kicks people, just for kicks. OK! Enough blabbing, enjoy the seventh month!

**Disclaimer: I own this story, not Naruto. He belongs to Ino and the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

_Nine Months_

_Month Seven:_

_The month of low-self esteem_

Uzumaki Naruto was in a very uncomfortable situation. Albeit, considering the fact that he was Konoha's number one hyperactive ninja, he had had his share of uncomfortable situations before.

That kiss with Sasuke, Sakura's numerous public rejections of his love, Kakashi's 1000 years of pain jutsu...the list went on and on. Naruto felt that by now he should have been used to being in situations like this.

But then again, he'd never had to endure a torture such as this before. It was, it was...

"Naruto! Baka, are you deaf? I've been calling you for like 5 minutes! How dare you space out on me like that?"

A sharp slap to the back of his head pulled Naruto out of his thoughts. He gazed up sheepishly, barely holding the gaze of an irritated Haruno Sakura.

He cursed mentally. He had thought the clutter of Sakura's basement would be enough to hide him until the dreadful event was over. No such luck.

Feeling defeated, Naruto crawled out sulkily from under the practice surgeons table.

"Aw come on Sakura-chan, do I really have to?" Naruto pleaded with his friend as he dusted himself off.

Sakura let out an annoyed sigh. "Yes Naruto you have to. If you do not I'll have Ino-pig bitching at me for weeks. And trouble for me, of course means trouble for". Sakura's jade eyes glinted menacingly in the light, solidifying her threat.

"Now hurry up and get your lazy ass upstairs. We're about to play Guess Mom's Tummy Size(1), " Sakura held up a length of pink yarn, "This, is for you".

Naruto gaped wordlessly as Sakura dropped the length of yarn into his open palm. How the fuck did he get himself into situations like this?

.

.

.

The past months Naruto had grappled with the whirlwind of emotions that was his wife. The pregnancy had brought out the best and the absolute worst of her. It was only a miracle he had been able to survive the ever-constant fluctuation of feelings.

On their last visit to the doctor, the Uzumaki's had been informed that Ino was entering her third trimester, the final step of her pregnancy.

It was after this visit that Naruto felt a sort of epiphany. For the first time he truly accepted that he was going to become a father. This had sent all type of feeling tingling down towards the blondes stomach. Pride, elation, but mostly nervousness and worry.

Was he, Naruto Uzumaki, really worthy of becoming a father?

Critically he examined his life, musing over memories.

He wasn't the best of the best but he wasn't all bad either. There were things in his life he wished he could repeat, or erase completely. He wasn't proud of every decision he had made, but had accepted them nonetheless.

Naruto's greatest fear now rested with his unborn child and the life they would lead.

After many years, the villagers of Konahakagure had finally accepted Naruto into their midst's. Gone were the cruel glances and words, at least mostly gone. It was not easy to change everyone.

Naruto could only hope the village would accept his child as they had accepted him. He would do everything in his power to protect him/her.

But could he be a good father? All his friends seemed to think so. From them it was all congratulations and well wishes. They had no doubt in him at all.

Neither did Ino. When he had revealed to her his worries about whether or not he would make a good father, she had merely laughed and wrapped her bundle-of-nerves husband in a hug.

"Naruto, this baby is going to be the luckiest person on earth. Not because they will have the most beautiful mother on earth, but because they will have the most loving and wonderful father on earth. I envy them a little actually," she had said, easing his fears. How could he doubt himself when his wife had such faith in him?

Naruto swore to be the best father he could and meet the expectations of those who cared for him. To ensure this oath, the Kyuubi-container frequently visited the local bookstore, purchasing as many books on fatherhood as possible.

In addition, he put his best effort to please his wife. Racked with frequent back pains and suffering from swollen ankles, Ino did little moving around these days. In fact, she had spent the past few weeks moping in front of the television, moaning about how fat she was getting.

Naruto could not disagree (fearing his life he never said this aloud). His usually svelte wife had literally swollen, as if someone had pumped hot air into her. Albeit, she was not floating yet.

As a result, Ino had settled into pit of depression and low-self esteem, content to do nothing but wallow in her sadness throughout the days.

Chocolates, clothes, jewelry, Naruto had done everything in his power to please his down-in-the-dumps wife. Ino had accepted the chocolate but turned away his other gifts, stating that they would look horrible on one as fat as she.

Naruto had been close to giving up when Sakura called him up one morning. The rosette-haired girl was sick of Ino's moping and complaining so she had decided to finally throw her that baby shower she had been begging for.

Ino's mood had perked up considerably after Naruto delivered her the news, causing Sakura to believe it had been an act the whole time. The blonde had simply been waiting for the girl to crack. If that was the plan, it had worked wonderfully.

In another life perhaps, Sakura would have been a party planner, not a medical ninja. The fifth Hokage's apprentice spared no expense for the event, requesting the best caterers and purchasing the best decorations.

When Naruto teased Sakura about her drive to make the party perfect, the girl had only scowled at him, saying she was doing it only to make it clear to Ino how lucky she was to have a friend as good as her.

Knowing Sakura for as long as he had, Naruto couldn't miss the glimmer in Sakura's eyes as she worked diligently, sometimes into the late night. Though she was loathe to admit it, Sakura did care deeply for her best friend, and did want her to have the best day ever.

Ino could only describe Sakura as her fairy godmother, without that hideous overstuffed dress of course, waving her magic wand and making all her dreams come true.

Sakura had transformed her house into fairytale land, consisting of bright banners, streams, and a multitude of balloons.

Although the gender of the baby was still unknown, Sakura had been Sakura and had gone with pink. Ino had been slightly annoyed at first but had cheered up once she had seen how pretty everything looked. She had officially placed her stamp of approval on the party.

At first, Naruto had been overjoyed. It was refreshing to see Ino cheerful and bubbly again. However, his joyous mood evaporated the day Ino presented him with a pink card.

"What's this Ino-chan?" he'd asked, confused.

"Don't ask me, open it up for yourself". Ino had replied grinning.

Anything pink given to a man meant trouble in Naruto's mind. Cautiously he had flipped open the card. He was more than a little shocked to discover it what was inside.

"B-bu-but Ino-chan!" Naruto had stuttered, "This is an invitation to your baby shower!"

"Mhmm, and?"

"Well I didn't know I was invited. Heck, I didn't even know men got invited to baby showers".

Ino had giggled at this. "Well typically they don't but you shall be an exception Naruto-kun. I want you to be there to enjoy all the festivities surrounding having a baby".

Naruto had physically paled. No way in hell was he going to spend a whole day in a house decorated _pink_ celebrating the wonders of _childbirth_.

"No way, Ino. No. Way." He'd met her glare with his own firm gaze. He would not back down this time.

Ino had flinched, beneath his harsh stare. Quickly switching tactics, she had turned away, sighing heavily.

"Well, if that's how you really feel..." she had sniffed lightly, bringing up a finger to wipe a non-existent tear.

Oh no. He wasn't going to fall for that act _again_.

Crossing his arms, Naruto had leaned back onto the couch. "Yep, Ino, that's how I really feel" he'd replied confidently.

The shock of this act had caused Ino to burst into real tears. For the rest of the night, the flower-loving Kunoichi lay wrapped up in a blanket in front of the television. Multiple buckets of chocolate ice cream were littered in front of her. Naruto had to cover his ears to block out her weeping.

Not only was she a fat pig but her husband did not love her as well. Ino had wept and moaned these thoughts until Naruto, nearing insanity, had finally relented.

"Ok, ok, ok. I'll attend your stupid baby shower. Now please, please stop crying. I really can't take it anymore".

"Idiot, " Ino had thrown one of her empty double chocolate chunk ice cream boxes at his head, "it's not stupid".

"Fine, it's not stupid. In fact it's wonderful, ok? Will you stop now?"

"Yes". Ino had looked like a little girl, blonde hair tousled and eyes shiny with tears, which she promptly wiped away. "Thank you Naruto".

.

.

.

Naruto reflected, as he trudged up the stairs to Sakura's living room, that he was much too soft. Every time he tried to be firm with his wife, she always got the best of him. He blamed it on her past as a Kunoichi.

Before they married, Ino was famous for her interrogation skills, mainly due to her ability to easily manipulate prisoners so that they were spilling their secrets and agreeing to who knows what before she even used her Mind Possession Jutsu.

Naruto guessed that some habits just couldn't be broken.

Emerging from the basement, Naruto was greeted with cheers from the rest of the guests.

"Well, well, well, it's about time," Naruto was not very surprised to see Tsunade herself walking over to him. Trust the Hokage to attend anything to get out of paperwork duty, "we've been waiting for our last player. Hurry up brat so I can win my prize".

"Dream on baa-chan", Naruto scoffed, "You know you have no luck".

Naruto barely avoided an angrily thrown punch over his head. Chuckling at the flustered Tsunade, Naruto strolled over to see the lady of the hour.

Always the center of attention, Naruto was not surprised to find Ino surrounded by some of their old friends and teammates.

Naruto happily greeted Hinata and Tenten then pulled his wife off to the side of the room.

"Naruto, what's the big deal, we were just about to really get into the game". Ino huffed, assuming what Naruto had come to call her trademark stance, head slightly cocked, death glare, and hands firmly on hips.

"Come on Ino-chan, I'm dying here. Can I go now please? You look like you're having the time of your life so you obviously don't need me around. So can I go please?" Naruto clasped his hands together, praying for freedom.

"No, not yet".

"Whaaaaaaaattt? Whhhyyyy?"

Ino resisted the urge to throw her husband off the nearest cliff. "Naruto you're acting like a child. All I'm asking is that you be here with me, you know for like support".

Naruto rolled his eyes at this. "Support for what? You're Ino; you're Miss Popular, since when have you ever need help finding the limelight?"

"It's not that easy you know!" Ino's harsh tone caused some of the guests to briefly stare at the couple, before turning back to their business.

Ino sighed. It was then Naruto noticed the light dark line under her eyes and her pallid skin tone.

"It's been really hard you know, these past couple months. I know it's been hell for you but it hasn't actually been a walk in the park for me either. I'm tired and cranky and goddamnit, I'm always hungry!" Ino paused for second and cast a wry smile over to where the rest of the guests were chatting.

She continued softly, "I know I'm the one who asked for this, I mean I was practically begging for this party, but I didn't know it'd be so hard to be here. Call me shallow, call me vain, but I can't stand to see everyone looking so skinny and fit and here I am, Ino the whale".

Ino met Naruto's gaze and her pitiful gaze pierced his heart.

"I guess what I'm saying is that, I feel ten times better when you're around Naruto. You make me feel better about myself. That's why I wanted you here. Not torture you by making you hang around with a bunch of us crazy girls but to make me feel not so shitty".

Ino hung her head down in defeat, blonde locked cascading over her shoulders.

At that point, Naruto was the one feeling shitty. He had spent the whole day trying to escape, never noticing how Ino was suffering.

Naruto pulled Ino into his arms, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"I'm so sorry Ino. I had no clue. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't make me weak. I can handle myself...at least I thought I could".

Naruto lifted up Ino's chin so that their eyes meet.

"Ino I love you, and I would do anything for you, even make every woman in this room walk around with a fat suit, just to make you happy".

"I know Naruto," Ino buried her face in his chest. "That's why you're the greatest person I know. And that's another reason I know you'll be a great dad".

Naruto grinned. "Thanks Ino". He kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Ahem, if you two are done cooing and cuddling over there, we still have a game to finish". Sakura smirked at the two, twirling a length of pink yarn around her finger.

"Jealous forehead?" Ino smirked at her friend.

"In your dreams piggy!" Sakura shot back.

"What was that ugly?" Ino advanced towards Sakura, eyes aflame.

"You heard me fat-"Naruto quickly cut off Sakura before any blood was spilt.

"You two, can't you guys ever get along?"

"No one's talking to you!" The two females snarled back.

"Ok, ok. Never mind". Naruto backed off before he became a target.

He could not miss however, the small smile and "thank you" mouthed by Ino as Sakura turned back to the rest of guests.

"No problem" he mouthed back. And it was no problem indeed.

_Hopefully Ino will be feeling better, because the seventh month is over._

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you people liked it. I was not so sure whether I did or not but it is your opinion that matters right now, so please let me know about anything specific. I made this chapter more fluffy and I hope I did not make Ino or Naruto too OOC or anything. Just trying to shake things up a little.

Ok, so seven months down, two to go, this story is gonna wrap up real soon. Stay tuned.

- (1) Went to Google, typed in "baby shower games", clicked on first link and picked out first interesting thing I saw. Yeah, I'm soo uncreative ^-^

-dancer


	6. Third Trimester: Almost There

**A/N: **Painful writers block made it very hard to finish this chapter, but I did and I'm very proud of myself ^^. It looks like I'm actually going to finish this thing which makes me even happier. Of course I could have never gotten this far without all my wonderful readers. Thank you all!

The last chapter will probably be the longest and will therefore take me a while but please be patient! I will put it up as soon as possible! I will not let you guys down! Thanks again for all your support and feedback. Love you all!

**Disclaimer: Once again my request to own Naruto has been denied. So I'll just make do with this story :)**

* * *

_Nine Months_

_Month Eight:_

_The month of reflection_

"It's crooked".

Naruto scowled at his wife. "It's not".

"Actually it is". Ino replied hotly. They had been at this for hours and at this rate, they would be up all night. "Maybe if you step back a little you would see that".

"Ino, I don't need to step back a little," he bit out the words, "I can tell from here that it's fine".

"Well from where I'm standing it's not fine. And when our baby wakes up every morning and looks at it, I'll have to tell them that their idiot father made it crooked". Ino's temper was rising and she could feel the tension in the room slowly escalating.

"I hardly doubt that because thanks to their father's brilliant genes, they won't be as blind as their mother and they will be able to see that it is indeed not crooked". Knowing he had won that round, Naruto braced himself, preparing for Ino's next move.

"Hopefully they will have more reason that you and won't be so damn stubborn so when people who are _obviously_ smarter than them say they're wrong, they'll get it that they are wrong!". Ino gritted her teeth in frustration and suppressed the wave of exhaustion that threatened to overcome her. She couldn't go on much longer.

"What sort of mother are you anyway? _Obviously_ our child will be the smartest person in the whole Shinobi nation so they will never have to worry about being wrong when someone who doesn't even know what they're even talking about says they are". Naruto drew himself up to full height and stared down at his fuming wife.

"You know what?"

"What?"

Ino opened her mouth, but the clever retort she had flew out of her head as she finally succumbed to the fatigue and slumped down on an overturned paint bucket; all fighting spirit drained.

"You know what, fuck it. I don't even care anymore", she said in defeat as she absentmindedly played with a discarded paint roller.

Grinning in triumph, Naruto secured the portrait to the wall and backed up to admire his work.

Done by Sai, it was one of his famous abstract drawings. Requested by Naruto, the artist had worked his magic onto the canvas and created a dazzling mix of colors that formed a scene very pleasing to the eye. Ino had been exuberant upon its completion and had had Naruto put it up immediately in the under construction baby room.

Unfortunately they had quickly come to conflict about where the painting should be placed. Ino personally thought the west wall would be best because the light from the rising sun would accent the vivid combination of colors. Naruto liked the north wall because then it became the center of attention and was the first thing their son/daughter would see upon waking up.

An intense argument had followed, with Ino emerging the winner after multiple threats, the final one involving castration. Naruto had been forced to consent.

Then came the debate about the direction painting was actually supposed to go. Being abstract as it was, the painting had no obvious head or toe and could be admired from multiple angles. Naruto thought it looked best with a 45-degree spin to it, while Ino preferred it in a horizontal fashion.

She had triumphed once again, this time she had blackmail. She had gloated in his face, waving around the shocking photos of him from their honeymoon, photos that he had _believed_ to have been destroyed. Naruto could only gape at her, red-faced as she threatened to reveal them to their friends. He knew she would do it too, that devious little vixen. He had had no choice but to give in, unless he wanted to have Kiba in his face for the next 20 years, mocking him about how "cute" he looked in a bikini.

When Ino had started complaining that the picture was crooked, Naruto had been determined to stand his ground. Now having achieved victory, it tasted a little bitter in his mouth as he watched his wife slump over in weariness on the paint bucket.

Ino had splotches of pastel green paint in her long blonde hair and all over her shirt and pants. They had been working all day, trying to finish setting up the room after weeks of procrastination. Now the sun was setting and Naruto could feel the drowsiness creeping into his system. He could only imagine how Ino was feeling.

With about a month to go, Ino was practically bursting. The maternity dress she wore now, just barely concealed her large belly. Just a few days ago, in a fit of depression, Ino had commanded all the mirrors in the house be removed or covered up. She had come to the decision that she would not look at herself again until the pregnancy was over.

Used to her dramatics, Naruto had dutifully complied. Now old drapes or blankets covered every mirror in their house, save the small mirror in their bathroom, which Naruto had persuaded Ino to let them keep, so that he did not kill himself while shaving.

Yet, even with her bulbous belly, Naruto thought Ino had never looked so cute. Always sharp and defined, Ino's cheeks were now plumper with a rose coloring that made her look adorably innocent. In addition, her hair had thrived these past months. Despite the fact that Ino had begun to neglect her golden locks, they looked healthier than ever and had grown faster than before. The very tips now reached well past her butt and when she sat down, like she was now, they cascaded gracefully onto the floor.

Although he had tried pointing these features out to her, Ino had refused to listen.

"I don't even understand how you can look at me Naruto", she had said gloomily one day.

"As if I care what you look like Ino-chan. I love you no matter what weight you are", he had replied smiling.

But Ino could not be cheered up. Though she had been complaining less these days, now that the end was so close.

A loud yawn from her wife disrupted Naruto's musings. Ino had pushed herself up from the paint bucket and was scanning the room, a tired smile on her face.

"Oh, well", she mumbled quietly, "at least we got a lot done. Tomorrow, you can get Shika and maybe Kiba to help you start moving the furniture in".

She bent over to pick up the remaining paint cans and brushes, but Naruto quickly stopped her.

"Don't worry about it Ino-chan, I'll clean up in here. You go rest".

Ino smiled gratefully and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks. I do think I hear the couch calling my name", she said before exiting the room.

When she was gone, Naruto turned to scan the rest of the room. Despite all their bickering, they had accomplished a lot that day.

In order to stay as gender neutral as possible, they had chosen a pastel green color for the wall and ceiling color. Although originally Naruto had wanted orange and Ino purple, they had met in the middle and chosen a simple color. However, they had decorated the borders of the room with splashes of purple and orange dots to make it more personal and vivid.

Along with Sai's painting, Naruto and Ino had decorated the room with their own artistic touches. Ino had painted suns and clouds all over the ceiling and then covered them with a special glow in the dark paint she had found that went on clear but glowed when the lights were off. She had used this to paint a flurry of stars and constellations.

Naruto had wanted to paint ramen dancing along the walls but Ino promised she would paint over it if he did. So instead, he painted an array of tiny little frogs hopping around the room, considering they were his summoning animal after all. He scowled when he noticed that a few were wearing dresses, courtesy of Ino. He'd have to fix that later.

The carpeting was an ankle high plush rug that was the same green as the walls. When they had first brought it into the room, Naruto had been so amazed by its softness that he had promptly fallen asleep on it, infuriating his wife. In order to avoid being ruined by paint, it was currently covered up but Naruto could still feel it's plush texture beneath his feet.

Tomorrow, the crib, dresser, changing table, bookshelf, and all the toys would be moved in. Naruto hoped everything would fit.

The room itself was not very large. The Uzumaki apartment was a one-bedroom unit but during their second year of marriage, Ino had installed a spacious walk in closet adjacent to the master bedroom. With its own window that overlooked the busy streets of Konoha, it had cost Naruto more than he had thought it was worth. However, now he had a reason to be grateful for it. It had proved to be the perfect size for a baby room. In a few years, they would probably have to move to a bigger place, but for now, it was fine.

Sighing, Naruto began picking up the various paint cans that littered the room, tossing the empty ones into the bulging trash can in the center of the room. He packed away the paintbrushes then removed the layer of plastic that covered the floor. Grabbing the trash bag, he swung it over his shoulder, took one last glance around the room, turned off the light, and closed the door.

.

.

.

Naruto found Ino sprawled on the couch, a bucket of triple chocolate chunk ice cream in her hands. She was deeply engrossed in one of those evening drama shows. This one was about life in a hospital for a crew of medical ninjas who were always falling in and out of love with each other and of course there was always a mysterious death.

Personally, Naruto hated these shows, but Ino could not get enough of them. There were times when he had come home to find her and Sakura glued to the television. Although Sakura claimed she was only watching for her friend's sake, Naruto knew from hiding in her house during Ino's baby shower, that the medical-nin had the whole first season DVD collection stashed behind a bookcase.

Luckily for Naruto, the show was almost over. He watched in disgust as the lead female character of the drama confessed her love to the lead male character, even though he was already married and was having affair with her homosexual teenage brother. Ino let out a gasp of shock as the two character began kissing passionately unaware that the woman's ex-boyfriend watched jealously on.

Naruto rolled his eyes and made his way to the kitchen, intent on preparing a bowl of ramen, as the previews for next week's episode were aired.

A short while later, Ino walked (actually it was kind of a waddle) into the kitchen, empty carton of ice cream in her hands.

"Oh my gosh, that had to be the most dramatic episode yet. I can't believe I have to wait another week to see what happens!", Ino whined in anxiety. She seated herself next to her husband and casually snatched an extra long noodle of ramen from his half-finished bowl. She smirked at his shocked face and she loudly slurped it up.

"Ino-chan, no fair! That was mine!" Naruto pouted like a child. "Besides," he said, moving his bowl out of her reach, " I thought you were over your ramen phase".

"I am, but sometimes, I can't control myself. Anyway, it was just one noodle". She ignored his glare and fixed her eyes on the ramen bowl.

Seeing this, Naruto protectively moved his ramen further away. Ino rolled her eyes at this act.

"I wasn't going to take any. I was just thinking", she smiled to herself, "that ramen phase was pretty crazy".

Naruto nodded vigorously. He could not agree more. Those days had been especially painful for him, having to helplessly watch box after box disappear from the cupboard of miracles. " I'm glad that is over".

"Yeah, but now that I think about it, we've gone through some pretty wacky times". Ino's eyes took on a dreamy look as she inwardly replayed the events of the last 8 months.

Naruto watched her silently as he finished his bowl.

"Remember that time, it must have been three or four weeks after we first found out, when you rushed me to the hospital at 3 in the morning, because you thought I was dying?"

Naruto blushed at this. It had been one of his more idiotic decisions. What he had thought was a potentially fatal disease, had only been a light episode of morning sickness. It had not made sense to him at that time that just because it was called morning sickness did not mean it only happened in the morning. Following the useless hospital visit, Naruto had slowly become accustom to the sound of Ino retching in the toilet at anytime of the day.

Ino laughed at her husband's red face. "Don't be like that Naruto; it was actually kind of cute. You were so worried. I remember Sakura being furious though because you practically dragged her out of the emergency room while she was performing her first open-heart surgery".

Naruto could almost feel the throbbing of the long gone bruises his friend had given him that day. Yep that had definitely not been one of his smarter decisions.

"Hey!" he narrowed his eyes at his wife, "Don't act like I'm the only one who did stupid things. I believe I distinctly remember a certain someone who jumped out of bed screaming one morning because she thought she was trapped in a genjustu because her ankles had gotten so fat".

Naruto smirked as he remembered waking up to see Ino frantically making hand signs and screaming "Release" over and over again.

It was Ino's turn to turn red. "No fair bringing that up! How was I supposed to know that during pregnancy, your stomach is not the only thing to swell? It was a beginner's mistake!"

"Yes I'm sure. Then was it also a beginner's mistake when you nearly had a heart attack when the baby first kicked?". Naruto raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by Ino's flustered appearance.

"Hey that was not just a kick, " she countered, "It was like a super kick".

"Suuuure", Naruto's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You can say that only because you haven't gone through what I have. I swear to God that all my internal organs are ruined because of this kid". Ino lay her head wearily on the table.

"You know what, you complain too much Ino-chan. I'm sure everything is not even half as bad as you make it out to be". Naruto flinched slightly at the death glare his wife sent him. Scowling, she lifted her head up and pointed her finger angrily at him.

"_I _complain too much? Oh really Mr. I-Can't-Wait-Until-This-Pregnancy-Is-Over-So-I-Can-Have-Sex-With-My-Wife-Again". Her husband had been bitching about it for weeks and Ino was close to reaching her breaking point.

"It's not my fault, "Naruto said defensively, putting his hands behind his head, "There are only so many ways in which I can adequately get rid of all my sexual frustration", he ignored the disgusted look on Ino's face and continued, "I'll probably take you right there and then in the delivery room".

Ino laughed as he actually considered the idea. "Yeah and Sakura might just kill you".

"You're probably right", Naruto replied in all seriousness, which made Ino laugh even harder. The image of Sakura pummeling her extra-horny husband was too much for her and she dissolved into a fit of laughter.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, still giggling as she said, "This is kind of random, but do you remember that time I threatened to dangle you by your ankles from the Hokage Tower-"

"-if I didn't buy you that three layer dark chocolate cake? Yes".

"Or that time I literally sent you flying because you called me-

"-'pleasantly plump'? Of course". Naruto grimaced at the memories. That had been a dark time in Ino's pregnancy. Any wrong move could send him flying out the window and unfortunately, he had made many.

"I can't believe I was so mean. Please forgive me Naruto-kun", Ino laid a hand affectionately on her husbands', her cornflower blue eyes shining with sincerity...or maybe it was from all the crying she just did.

"I've already forgiven you Ino-chan. I know most of the things you did were not really your fault". Naruto took Ino's hand in his and absentmindedly began playing with her fingers. "I blame the hormones".

Ino smiled in agreement. "Me too".

It was silent for a bit, the two of them still replaying the events of the past few months.

Then Ino said softly, "We're going to be alright. The craziness of this pregnancy probably just means that everything is going to be fine".

"Of course Ino-chan, "Naruto said reassuringly, "How could it not be?"

And she believed him.

.

.

.

As Naruto snored next to her, Ino finished the entry she had been working on the past hour. Sighing, she capped her pen and quickly skimmed over what she had written. Pleased, she flipped the pages to the front cover and re-read what she had written last week when she had purchased the journal, the day after she and Naruto had reflected about the past couple months.

The "to" section was still blank, but that was okay. Once the baby was born, Ino would fill this in. In the "from" section, she had simply written, "from your parents, who love you more than you know". Below this she had added, "Memories from before and after, a collection of our craziest stories".

She had been initially skeptical about keeping a journal like this, but so far, she had enjoyed recounting the memories.

Ino yawned lightly as she quietly shut the journal. She leaned over and stuffed it in its usual place underneath the bed.

Then she switched off the light and almost instantly, fell into a dreamless sleep.

_And so the eighth month ends peacefully...

* * *

_

**A/N: **Yeah, super cheesy ending! Please don't kill me!

In comparison to the other chapters, I think this one is the most calm, but probably the most boring...sorry about that ^^. But don't worry, I've got big plans for the final chapter, so stay tuned!

I do have a request though. Due to gender bias, I would love for Ino to have a girl. But I decided to leave it you, my wonderful readers, to decide. Boy or Girl? You guys pick and I will gladly comply with the choice that has the most results (girl! girl! girl!). Also if you have any ideas for names, feel free to throw that out there, because it would make my life a whole lot easier if I didn't have to go searching google for Baby Names. Thank guys!

-dancer


	7. Third Trimester: Month Nine

**A/N:** OMG, I can't believe I actually finished this. I'm so happy! XD And it's all thanks to all my wonderful readers. Without your support and reviews I would have never come this far, you guys rock!

This last chapter was a pain in the ass to finish but somehow I did it. I'm sure it is easy to tell the parts where I was just like "screw this!". Yeah I had a lot of those moments -_-' But I finished and I'm oh so happy!

Thank you to all those who answered my question regarding the gender of Ino's baby. To see the winner, please read below ^-^

So here it is, the conclusion to **Nine Months** I hope you guys enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: I hope to one day own the rights of Naruto, but until then I just own this story.**

* * *

_Nine Months_

_Month Nine_

Uzumaki Ino shifted uncomfortably on the cold surface of the examining table she had been sitting on for over 15 minutes. The wait for the medical-ninja in charge of her was becoming unbearable and she felt if she had to sit in the room any longer, she would probably freeze. The only cover for her shivering body was a disgusting gray gown that unfortunately protected only the front, leaving her bottom exposed to the frigid temperature of the room. As if it was not cold enough outside.

Ino shifted once more, wishing she were back home on her overstuffed couch, a slice of chocolate cake to keep her company. Yes, back home where it was warm and cozy, unlike the room she was currently confined too.

With a sigh of frustration, Ino eased herself off the icy table, giving up on ever finding a comfortable position. She began pacing slowly around the small room, twiddling her fingers impatiently.

A visit to the hospital had not originally been on her agenda, but loneliness and anxiety had finally driven her out of the warm haven of her bed and she had made the agonizing trip through the snowy streets of Konoha.

The nurses had not been surprised to see her when she arrived, even though she had not called ahead. Ino had visited the hospital countless times during the last few weeks and they were used to her random arrivals. They were surprised however, to see she had come alone. No matter how busy, Naruto always accompanied his wife on her trips to the hospital. He could not always stay the whole visit, but he would always be sure to drop her off and then pick her up as soon as she was finished.

His devotion to his wife always made the nurses sigh in envy and curse their negligent boyfriends. So when Ino had walked through the double doors without her hyperactive and perpetually bouncy husband in tow, all work had been dropped and all stations abandoned as the nurses of Konoha General rushed to the blonde woman, advice, insults, and plenty of comfort prepared.

"Did he cheat on you? That bastard!" one nurse had cried, a short dark-haired woman.

"He chickened out, didn't he? Men have no backbone!" yelled another

"How did he pass? Was it peaceful?" added one of the male nurses

It had taken Ino several moments to calm down the gaggle of women and men that threatened to overwhelm her with their inquiries and opinions.

"No he did not cheat on me, he's too scared to, and no, he did not chicken out either. Considering the amount of S-rank missions he has done, this baby is hardly a scare. And _no,_ he is not dead". Ino had pressed on as she saw the skepticism etched on many of the nurses faces.

"He's on a mission right now. A classified S-rank. He should be back any day now, so no worries". Ino had given a small smile, hoping to ease the worries and bring some peace to the atmosphere.

However, she had received just the opposite as the nurses broke out into a fresh wave of questions and angry statements.

"How long has he been gone?"

"Fuck that, the real question is how could he leave her like this?"

"I still think he ran away, why else take a mission when she's so close to her due date?"

"A suicide mission perhaps. In order to escape the terrors of fatherhood?"

Ino had groaned as a million and one theories regarding Naruto were presented, ranging from he ran away to he's having an affair, with a man.

The real reason for her husband's departure was a simple case of financial insurance. The Uzumakis had a relatively stable income (most of the time) and they enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. However, with Ino on leave from work, there had been more pressure on the budget the past few months.

The baby was due soon and Ino wanted to make sure that they would be covered until she could start working once more. So when she had seen the payment for the S-rank mission, she had persuaded her husband to take it.

"I'm not so sure about this Ino-chan, "Naruto's face had been lined with worry, "I would hate to leave you at a time like this".

"Don't worry about me," Ino reassured him, "worry about yourself. This mission has a 40% survival rating".

"I can see why you're so eager to send me off then" he had replied dryly.

Ino encircled her arms around her husband, "Naruto, don't you know I have the utmost confidence in your ability to succeed? I never falter in my faith in you and my belief that you will come back home".

"And what about that day when I don't come back?" he had asked in all seriousness

"Then I'll just have to go out and drag your ass back home", she had replied in a just as serious manner.

The conversation had ended with laughter and the next morning Ino had happily waved off her husband.

She had not been able to sleep since. The babies kicking and her own fears had kept her up until the early hours of the morning when she would finally drift off, only to wake up one or two hours later, sweat-soaked and shaking.

Naruto was due back within the next two days and Ino eagerly awaited his return. Until then, she would have to occupy herself with tedious tasks in order to keep the depression at bay.

However, as she attempted to quiet the growing mob that surrounded her, she had wondered if coming to the hospital was such a good idea.

"What's going on here? Don't you people have _jobs_ to be doing? This is a hospital and patients need attending!" A sharp voice had cut through the air and everyone including Ino had turned to face an angry Sakura.

"Oh Ino, it's you," said the medic-nin, once she spied her blonde friend. "Trust you to be the center of the disturbance, eh piggy?"

"Don't be so jealous forehead. Bitterness will only make those wrinkles develop faster", Ino had grinned wickedly as Sakura made her way towards her, the vast crowd that once surrounded her disappearing and people fled to the safety of their posts. The tension in the air was thick enough and the two best friends/rivals made the atmosphere almost unbearable with their challenging glares. No one wanted to be in the middle of _that_ catfight.

"Wrinkles are easy to take care of. You should really do something about those fat ankles though". In the past, a comment such as that would have been an instant trigger to a full-scale battle that would last until chakra exhaustion took place or Naruto managed to pull the girls apart.

Ino had neither the energy nor the will to grind the pink-haired girl face into the dust. At least not until the pregnancy was over. For now, scathing comments would have to suffice.

"Don't worry, they'll be back to normal once I have the baby. I can't say the same about that blubber around your chin. Have you been packing away those cookies I sent you Saku-chan?" Ino loved watching the other girl's reaction. Sakura was as pink as her hair. The nurses and medical students cowered behind their desks as the Sannin's apprentice had drawn herself up to full height (an impressive 5' 3''!) ready to release and onslaught of insults.

But it never came. They had watched in horror as the two women dissolved into a fit of giggles and embraced like the best friends they were.

"I miss doing that", Sakura had said wiping her eyes.

"I know, but who has time for banter when 're all so busy". Ino had smiled sadly.

"We are desperately in need of a girl's night out. I should start planning one now". Sakura was all business as per usual, already checking off the list of bars they would hit.

Ino had rolled her eyes. "You do that. I'll be so tired after this baby I will probably fall asleep into my drink. Bar hopping with a woman suffering from post-partum depression! Wohoo!"

"Don't be so cynical Ino. Women with babies can still have fun. Now, what can I do for you?"

"I actually have an appointment with Aiko-san. Noon".

"That's perfect. You're room is on my way". They had linked arms as if they were 14 years old again, their voices echoing off the floors and ceilings of the hospital as the two friends made their way down the hallway.

Now Ino paced the dimly lit room she had been confined for the past hour and a half. She really should have just stayed home. Overdue by three days was really not a reason to come to the hospital, especially when it meant waiting and waiting and waiting...

Ino's pacing was interrupted as the door to her room banged open, flooding every corner with fresh light.

Watanabe Aiko was a petite woman who carried herself with a confidence that even Ino admired. The dark-haired woman had been specially assigned to her by Tsunade who was a great friend of the Uzumaki family. Aiko was the best medical ninja in her profession and Ino had come to adore her and her no-nonsense attitude.

"Everything seems to be normal Yamanaka-san," formal as always, Ino attempts to get the woman to call her by her first name were always in vain. "The baby should be arriving anytime within these next two weeks. If you have not delivered by the end of two weeks then please stop by and we will see if we can do anything. Any questions?"

Ino shook her head.

Aiko nodded and was already out the door before Ino could manage so much as a "How's your husband". Medical ninja never had time for small talk. They made you wait for hours on end and when they finally did come back, they were in and out in no less than 1 minute, no more than 5. Then they were off to their next patient.

With her own experience in the medical field, Ino knew how hectic the life was. She always admired Sakura for her devotion to it. Her life was no easier though. Depending on the individual, interrogations could take up to 48 hours. She had had some take a week. More, if they were dealing with a particularly closed mouthed criminal.

Although her job was nowhere near simple and it often required long hours, Ino missed it. She even missed Ibiki and that sardonic humor of his. Her anxiety to get back into active duty was another reason Ino could not wait until the pregnancy was over. She had already decided that she would hassle Tsunade for an A-rank mission the first chance she got. That would be great start on the agonizing path to losing the baby weight.

Sighing in relief, Ino quickly shed the hideous hospital gown and threw on her own equally hideous-but-more-colorful maternity clothes.

'I'm so going to burn these when this is all over', she thought to herself and she pulled the purple blouse over her swollen stomach.

She collected her belongings and started down the hallway towards the lobby. She waved to Sakura as she passed by the room where her friend was currently examining what looked like a nasty foot fungus. Ino giggled as Sakura made a disgusted look over her shoulder.

She paid her bill at the front desk and barely made it through the front doors. The nurses were back and they tried to cram in last minute advice as Ino tried to make her escape.

"He doesn't deserve you! Single moms are the hottest!"

"If he doesn't want you, I'll take you!"

Ino gave them all a quick smile and a small wave before ducking through the double doors. They were only looking out for her and she truly appreciated their concern but sometimes the nurses really got out of hand. She would have to tell Tsunade to give them more to do. Obviously they had too much time on their hands now.

Ino trudged down the road, truly unsure of her next destination. Home was out of the question, it was much too dull there without Naruto. Sakura was working and the rest of the girls were off on missions. She paused to contemplate her next step.

It was snowing again and Ino found the falling white flakes thoroughly distracting. All around her it seemed the rest of Konoha was enjoying the strange weather. Being only three days from Suna, Konoha had generally mild weather. It got a little chilly in the winter but snow was a rare site indeed.

Ino mused over any hidden meanings and scowled at the fact that she would be giving birth during such horrid weather. Being the flower lover she was, winter was definitely her least favorite season. It depressed to see the whole earth so dead like and cold. At least there was always spring to look forward to.

Ino ducked, narrowly missing a snowball that would have hit her head. Thanking her ninja skills, she whirled around and shot her best glare at the genin who had thrown the offending object. The poor boy blushed darkly under her fierce gaze and muttered a quick apology before taking off after his friends.

Once they had disappeared around the corner, Ino allowed herself a small smile. Pregnancy had truly made her a bitter person. Yet _another_ reason why she couldn't wait to get the goddamn thing over with.

Grumbling to herself, she continued on her way. As she reached the end of the street, Ino suddenly knew where she would go. Chuckling she made a left; there was a certain lazy ninja who she knew was home and would just love to have her company.

.

.

.

Shikamaru groaned as the pounding on his door, and Ino's voice, got louder. He knew it was only a matter of time before she knocked the whole structure down. _Then I'd have to get a new door. That would be so troublesome..._

With a deep sigh, he heaved himself off the couch where he had been laying most of the day. It was the best place to watch the snow falling from the window. Falling snow was almost as good as floating clouds. Shikamaru could watch for hours.

"I know you're there Shikamaru! Do you really think you can ignore me forever? I can and I will stand here all day!"

Shikamaru opened the door as Ino drew her fist back for another good knock on the door. She smiled as she saw the irritated look on her friends face.

"Well, it's about time!" She pushed past him, not waiting for an invitation inside.

"So troublesome..." Shikamaru groaned as he closed the front door.

"What was that?" Ino yelled from the kitchen.

"Nothing, nothing". Shikamaru smirked to himself. Things were always more interesting, if more chaotic, when Ino was around.

He entered to kitchen to find his friend already settled in. A pot of water was on the stove and the ingredients for tea were already laid out.

"You sure know how to make yourself at home".

Ino waved off his comment with a simple gesture. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So where's Temari?"

Shikamaru sat in the chair opposite her and laid his head on the table. "She's visiting her brothers back home. You know how she feels about this weather".

Ino nodded. At least she could tolerate the frigid temperatures. The Suna princess had been racked by sniffles and a horrible cold since the snow had started. Ino did not blame her for retreating to warmer climates.

"Then we're both alone. Yeah! We can bond over our loneliness!" Ino laughed cheerfully at Shikamaru's unenthusiastic expression.

"You are seriously the worst company ever you know that?" Ino poked his head as he laid it back on the table.

"Then why do you always come back to bug me?" the lazy Nin muttered.

"Because I know you secretly love it and your fun to annoy".

For the next hour the two friends chatted casually. Well it was mostly Ino doing the chatting with a few murmured comments by Shikamaru. A stranger would be confused at this seemingly dull exchange, but anyone who knew the two would know that this was just how they communicated.

There were not many people Shikamaru would relinquish a day of snow watching for. Ino was special. Although he would never admit how much he enjoyed the cheerful blondes company, fearing that would just make her more inclined to frequently harass him.

As Ino was complaining about the loss of her walk-in closet due to baby renovations, there was a frantic knock at the door.

Ino scowled at being interrupted and Shikamaru groaned at being once more disturbed on what was supposed to be a peaceful day.

When he opened the door he was shocked to find a frantic Naruto fidgeting on his doorstep.

"What are you doing here", he asked without thinking. _Duh, he's probably looking for Ino. But it's too troublesome to say that now..._

"Shikamaru, Ino's disappeared! I can't find her anywhere. Sakura-chan said she left the hospital right after her appointment but now she's gone! Do you know where she is?"

Naruto was a pathetic site. In his haste to find his beloved, he had forgotten his jacket and now stood shivering, his hands rapidly rubbing his arms to keep warm.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, wondering why he even called these people his friends. No one had any common sense anymore.

"Come inside...before you freeze to death in front of my house. That would be so troublesome..."

Naruto bounced in in a manner that made the genius ninja's eye twitch. He had to cover his ears when he heard the overly hyperactive blonde squeal in delight.

"Ino-chan!"

Ino looked up from her cold tea only to be assaulted by a blonde blur that was her husband.

"Whaa? Naruto? What are you doing here? What about your mission". Ino gasped as she tried to push away the large mass that threatened to smother her.

"I finished early. S-rank my ass, that mission was hardly worth a B-ranking. But I couldn't wait to see you again Ino-chan!" Naruto continued to smother his wife with kisses, oblivious to her frantic attempts to wiggle out of his iron hold.

'N-Naruto, I love you but if you don't stop squeezing me, I'm going to asphyxiate". Naruto instantly pulled away, allowing Ino to draw in a much need lungful of air.

"Sorry about that Ino-chan", Naruto smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Ino glared at him and he tensed up, fearing a verbal/physical assault. However, her frown quickly dissolved into a bright smile and she enveloped her husband in a hug.

"I'm glad your back Naruto, I missed you too", she whispered in his ear.

Perhaps it was the loss of precious snow watching time, or perhaps even a tinge of jealously, but the sight of the couple that looked just oh-so deeply in love, made Shikamaru roll his eyes and scoff is disgust.

"I'm glad you two are happy to see each other but don't forget there is another person in the vicinity. Please take your affections elsewhere".

Ino made a face. "Oh Shika, you're so bitter. I do not know how Temari stands it".

"You can ask her next time you see her", Shikamaru replied dryly, "Now if you don't mind..."

"Fine, we get it!" Ino huffed gathering her bags, "Come on Naruto, let's leave pineapple head to wallow in his loneliness". She grabbed her coat and marched out the door.

Naruto shot his friend an apologetic grin and said, "It's the hormones".

"Are you sure? Hasn't she always been like that?" Shikamaru smirked.

Naruto chuckled lightly and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Ino's shrill scream from the front of the house.

"Naruto! I said let's go! I'm freezing here!"

"C-coming Ino-chan!" With a quick wave, Naruto dashed out of the house. Shikamaru winced at the sound of the door slamming behind him.

He sighed and shook is head. Then he returned to his spot on the couch and contently watched the snowflakes drift silently down from the sky.

Finally, peace and quiet...

.

.

.

Ino gave the half-empty carton of ice cream a last mournful look before dropping it into the wastebasket. The "thud" made by the carton as it struck the bottom sent an ache through Ino's body. Sighing she closed the lid of the wastebasket and returned to her previous spot on the couch.

Although she would have liked nothing more than to indulge in the sweet treat, Ino's lack of an appetite had made it difficult to consume the ice cream. She could only make it halfway until nausea threatened to overcome her and she was forced to get rid of the chocolate delight.

She had not been plagued with morning sickness since the end of the third month, but in the past three days since she had left the hospital, she had had headaches, back pain, and fatigue. Although these ailments were nothing new, they brought on a wave of depression that Ino could not control.

Her father said she was just anxious, Sakura teased her about being scared, and Naruto assured her that all new mothers probably felt that way. Whatever the reason, it did not change the fact that Ino would have liked nothing more than to crawl under a rock and sleep forever.

Nine months! Nine long months of cravings, cramps, irritability, moodiness, sickness, and weight. Lots of weight. And with the end so close Ino did not know whether to jump for joy or cry. Her emotions swirled in her and she wondered if she would ever be in control again.

Just as she felt the first tears leaking from her eyes, the front door slammed open and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Ino-chan! I'm back!" Just the sound of Naruto's voice lifted Ino's mood. She quickly pinched her cheeks to give them color and with a grunt, she hefted herself off the couch.

"Were you able to get it?" she asked as Naruto dumped the bags that he had been carrying on the floor.

"Yep, we were really lucky; this was the last one in stock. I never knew they were in such high demand". He handed her a package that was wrapped securely in brown paper.

"Me either, "she replied, carefully peeling off the paper, "I had one as a kid and it never appeared valuable to me. If I had known, I would have been more upset when I broke it".

She ripped off the last of the brown paper and smiled in delight at the tiny box in her hand. Expertly crafted from fine porcelain, the box was covered with a beautiful rose design. Rose vines were carved into the sides and the latch in the front was rose in full bloom.

Ino carefully lifted the latch and the small apartment was filled with a light, tinkling melody. In the box, a rotating platform depicted two figures, a boy and a girl. The red-cheeked boy was presenting a flower to the bashful golden haired girl who had a hand out to accept it. The two figures spun in happiness to the lovely melody that flowed out the music box.

"It's beautiful", Ino said dreamily, her body swaying slightly to the music.

"I'm glad you like it", Naruto grinned, happy to see his wife out of her gloomy mood.

"It's just like the one I had. It'll be perfect for the baby". Ino smiled and closed the music box. The music ended but its melody still rung in their ears.

"Speaking of baby, how are you feeling?". Naruto picked up the rest of the bags and began arranging a variety of groceries onto the kitchen table.

"Tired and cranky, as per usual", Ino grumbled carrying the music box to the nursery.

Once she returned she examined the items on the table, ensuring Naruto had picked up all the things on her list.

"Have you come up with a name yet?" Naruto voiced came from the cupboard where he was digging for a snack.

"I was going over a few, but I'll make my final decision once we know if it is a boy or a girl". Ino began arranging the groceries into their appropriate locations.

"I still say girl," Naruto said sitting down at the table, a box of miso ramen in hand.

"Then I still say boy" Ino replied.

"Girl"

"Boy"

"Girl"

"Boy"

"Boy"

"Yep, that's right"

"Damn you!" Naruto scowled at his wife's triumphant face, "You never fall for it!"

Ino laughed and ran her hand through Naruto's hair, mussing up the golden locks. "Cause I'm smarter than you Naruto-kun".

He huffed and busied himself with preparing his meal. Ino grinned and began tidying up the kitchen. As she reached for a rag on the top shelf of a cabinet, a sharp pain assaulted her stomach. She let out a small cry and let her arm fall.

"Are you okay Ino-chan?" Naruto was by her side, supporting her as knees threatened to buckle.

"Y-yeah. Just a contraction. Don't worry; I've been getting them all the time these days. I'll be fine". Ino straightened up as her breathing returned to normal.

Naruto's face was still pale and worried. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? It could be time..."

"No, no. I'm fine, I'm-" She winced as she was hit by another wave of contractions. She gasped at the short interval between them.

"Ino-chan!" Naruto was as pale as Sai, his eyes full of fear and worry.

"I'm fine! It's just, it's just...well, um, my water broke this morning and-"

"What?" Ino winced as Naruto's voice thundered through the apartment. "And you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't think it was such a big deal! The baby books say that labor could be hours, even days away! I was just at the hospital three days ago and I didn't want to go back if it wasn't important..." Ino's voice dropped to barely a whisper as she shrunk from the wave of anger that radiated from her husband.

Naruto's face was bright red and his blue eyes were blazing. From where Ino was, they almost seemed red.

"Not a big DEAL?" Naruto yelled, "Ino, I think going into labor is a BIG deal! We're going to the hospital, NOW."

"Naruto, come on, let's just wait a couple hours-"

"Now!"

Ino immediately gave up fighting back. Naruto did not often get this way, but she knew than his anger was dangerous and it was best when she just went along.

"Fine, fine". Ignoring the pain in her body, Ino walked to her room and gathered her things. Her fuming husband was waiting for her when she returned. She glared at him as he opened the door for her.

"If we get sent home, I am going to be so pissed".

.

.

.

She could hear the sound of the nurse's voice in her ear. She wasn't sure what she was saying but it sounded somewhere along the lines of "you're going to be alright". Ino resisted the urge to strangle the woman because she definitely did NOT feel all right.

Oh the pain, it was there again. Ino tried to steel herself against it but it shattered all her barriers. Finally, she succumbed to it, a scream flying out of her mouth.

It was so hot, she was burning. She couldn't tell where she was, it was light then dark then light again.

"Someone stop playing with the lights," she murmured. Ah, the pain was going to drive her insane. It hit her repeatedly until as one point she was sure she was dead.

Disembodied hands flew in and out of her distorted vision and snatches of conversation flew into her pounding ears.

"...just in time...any longer...too late...no time for prep...now". Somewhere in all the jumbled conversation, she heard Naruto's voice and she clung to it for dear life.

"Everything's going to be fine Ino-chan. I'm here".

There was water on her cheeks and she knew she was crying. Oh, she was going to die, she was going to die.

More pain, more screaming, more pain, pain, pain!

Until relief and she felt as if she was floating away, light as those clouds Shikamaru loved to watch.

And somewhere in all the peace, there was the sound of cry, and she knew she had been successful.

.

.

.

"I think an 'I told you so' is in order", Naruto grinned smugly at his wife.

"Oh shut it, you'll wake her up". Ino brought the tightly wrapped bundle closer to her and peered at her daughter's face.

She looked like Ino but underneath her sleeping lids, her eyes were same color as her fathers. At the moment they were unsure whether the short wispy blonde hair that adorned her head would remain its pale color or become more yellow as she grew up. To Ino, she was perfect.

"She really is something," Naruto whispered.

"Yes..."

Both parents gazed in silent awe at their daughter until they were interrupted by the sound of an argument in the hallway.

"I'm sorry Haruno-san but at this time I cannot permit you to enter. Hospital rules". Came the voice of the attending nurse.

"Hospital rules my ass, I practically run this place! Now let me through!" Sakura's voice had reached a dangerous level and Ino felt sorry for the poor nurse that had to deal with her.

"Please Haruno-san, perhaps tomorrow-"

"What's with all this noise?" Ino's eyebrows shot up at the sound of the third voice.

"Tsunade-sama! What are you doing here?

"I heard the brat became a father and I decided to check out the child myself. Now out of the way".

The door to the hospital room flew open to reveal a grinning (and thankfully sober) Tsunade and a still fuming Sakura. The nurse glared at the pair but she valued her life and kept quiet. She shut the door quietly behind the two women.

"Really forehead, making such a racket, have you no respect for your patients?" Ino quipped once they were alone.

"Right now, no", Sakura bounded happily over to her friends bed. A small gasp left her lips when she saw the baby. "Oh Ino, she's beautiful". Sakura looked back at her friend, "Are you sure she's yours?"

"Very funny forehead".

"Well congratulations brat, I never knew you had it in you!" Tsunade walked over to Naruto and gave him a cheerful pat on the back, causing him to fall to the floor.

"Uh, thanks baa-chan, I think..."

"Can I hold her?" Sakura asked softly. Ino nodded and placed the baby delicately in her friend's arms. She had never seen Sakura look so scared. It made her smile at the clumsy manner the medical-nin held the baby.

"What's her name?" the pink haired girl asked, still enchanted by the sleeping bundle in her arms.

"Nami "(1) Naruto replied, picking himself up from the ground.

"That means 'wave', doesn't it?" Sakura asked, finally looking up.

"Yes, we thought it would be most suitable". Ino said. Sakura nodded in approval.

"Uzumaki Nami, I like that. No doubt she'll be a trouble maker like her parents," Tsunade said, taking the baby from Sakura, who appeared as if she might start crying.

"You mean like her father, I'm the good one" Ino defended herself.

"Hardly piggy. Although she might look like you, let's hope she doesn't have your attitude". Sakura grinned at her friend, further infuriating her.

"And what attitude is that, forehead?". Before Sakura could reply, the door opened and the angry nurse stepped in.

"I'm sorry Haruno-san, Hokage-sama, but visiting hours are over and we must ask you to leave". The woman looked anything but sorry and matched Sakura's glare with her own.

As Sakura opened her mouth to challenge her, Tsunade silenced her with a gesture.

"Yes, yes, we'll be out in a minute. I have to be getting back to my office anyway". The Hokage passed the baby to her father and after congratulating the couple once more, exited the room, a reluctant Sakura in tow.

Once the door closed, the new parents sighed. Ino slumped back onto her hospital bed, her body weary. A good rest was in order.

"Those two..." Naruto muttered.

Tsunade and Sakura proved to be the least of their troubles. Within the next few days, the hospital room was a bustling center of activity. Flowers and gifts arrived daily and visitors were a constant sight. It seemed the whole village wanted a glimpse of the daughter of the nine-tailed fox. Ino felt as if a 'fast-forward' button had been pushed on her life and everything was moving agonizingly fast.

It didn't stop after they left the hospital either. For the next few weeks, Ino hardly slept. During the day, there was housework to be done, the baby to feed, clothes to be washed, diapers to be changed, and a large amount of visitors to endure.

Sakura was one of the more constant ones. The medical-nin stopped by at every chance she had to play with the baby. During her third visit in one day, Ino swore to ban her forever from their house if she didn't stay away for at least 24 hours.

Inochi was ever worse. Ino had always thought his protective nature was smothering when she was young but now it had morphed to a new level of paranoia. Her father insisted on being around at all times and at one point threatened to move in with them. No visitor could pass through the door without him launching a full-scale interrogation. It was only Ino's pleas that kept him from examining the inner workings of the minds of everyone who walked through the door. And unlike Sakura, Ino could not so easily ban him from the apartment.

Despite being constantly swept away by the blur that was her life, there were a few moment that Ino had to sit back and appreciate what she had.

She stood in front of the mirror ( they had finally taken the covers off) one morning and examined herself from all angles. _This must be some sort of record of something_, she thought to herself.

It had been six weeks since Nami's birth and Ino had successfully managed to take off every inch of baby weight; even her ankles had returned to normal. In truth, it had not been that difficult. She had spent the last few weeks on her feet and she certainly missed a good meal or two some days, but it was worth it. She had the most beautiful daughter in all of Konoha as well as the most wonderful husband.

Naruto deserved a gold star for all the chaos he had been put through. Not only was he forced to tackle diaper duty and late-night feedings, but Ino's lack of sleep made her extra-violent, resulting in quite a few bruises and broken bones.

They had both persevered and now the rush that had been with them since they left the hospital was beginning to die down. Nami was sleeping longer hours and Ino had slowly been returning to her training. She would ask Tsunade for a mission within the next few weeks, but for now, everything was somewhat peaceful.

Ino spun around in front of the mirror, smiling in joy and glad to be back to the size of pants she was most comfortable in. Instead of burning all her maternity clothes, she had stuffed them all in Sakura's closet. She had gotten a good laugh when the pick haired girl had knocked on her door, Ino's oversized blouse in her hand.

"Keep it forehead, I think it fits you better than me" Ino had laughed so hard tears had sprung to her eyes. She had laughed even harder as Sakura has launched into a fit of curses.

Ino stopped spinning and placed a hand to her ear, listenining. Everything was silent. For once the sound of crying did not echo in every corner of the apartment. Ino's heart swelled in delight.

"Good, that's how it-"

"Waaaaaaaaaah!"

"Ino-chaaannnn!" Naruto wailed from the living room, his cry mixed in with that of the baby's.

"Baka! What did you do now?" Ino growled, marching out of the bedroom, fist positioned for a blow.

"It wasn't my fault!"

_And so ends month nine._

* * *

**A/N: **_(1)_ Thank you **CelticReaper **for this name. It was so cute, I fell in love with it ^-^

**Edit 1**: I forgot to include this the first time I posted this chapter. I used information from the book The Breakable Vow by Kathryn Ann Clarke when I was writing this story, mostly in the last chapter. It gave me information regarding the whole labor thing and after effects and such. So yeah I just wanted to make sure I added this :)

Wow, I can't believe it's all over. I'm a bit worried about the ending though. I hope it's not abrupt. I wanted to end on a funny note :)

I truly enjoyed working on this story and I'm sad that it has come to an end T.T

A big thank you to all those who made this story great. That means you my lovely reviwers. And of course a big thank you for everyone who put this on their favorites/subscribed to it. And of course a big thank you to all those lurkers out there. I LOVE YOU!

Peace out

-dancer


End file.
